Whispers in the dark
by Obsidian Buterfly
Summary: Sakura Kinomoto has been labeled as bad luck: after the deaths of almost everyone she loves she has been labeled a sign of doom. does she really bring misfortune, or is she just a target in an upcoming war for power? FxS, AU, Character Deaths
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Yuck! I **_**cannot**_** believe how many mistakes there were in this chapter. Anyhow I have gone through it and corrected most of the mistakes that I could find. I've rewritten certain parts which I thought were not fitting well before. Hopefully it will be a good read now. :)**_

_**Enjoy. And don't forget to review.**_

It was a cold December morning in the town of Sahil. The entire town was enveloped in a dense fog making the world surreal and simple, a plain canvas of white haze and black silhouettes. It was under such conditions that the bus pulled over at the stop. The automatic doors opened and a tall lanky teenager stepped inside. Casting a look around him, the boy made his way to the very back. One of the girls at the front nudged her friend, as the boy passed them, and giggled quietly.

The boy appeared to be sixteen at most. He was dressed in faded jeans and a white hooded upper- the hood currently pulled back to reveal a quite attractive face, sapphire eyes accentuated by messy blond hair- a silver chain hung from one of his jeans pockets. He had casually slung a bag over one shoulder and was holding it in place with a black fingerless gloved hand. His other hand was shoved inside the pocket from which the silver chain was dangling off. Despite the fact that the bus was moving once again, the boy walked to the back with laidback, graceful steps. He spotted an empty seat near the window and proceeded to seat himself.

The bus maneuvered through the foggy streets, stopping at various stops to pick up the students for school. After almost fifteen minutes, the moving vehicle came to a halt outside a very large building. As the doors opened, the students started shuffling and getting off the bus.

Heaving a sigh, the blond readjusted his bag and got up from his seat. His lungs clutched the first breaths of early morning air the minute he stepped off. The brief milky mists hovered around his lips for a short while before dissipating into thin air. The boy cast a look around him once.

Most of the students around him were watching him with keen interest however he was yet to be approached by them. The boy lowered his head and began walking across the road towards the school entrance, a small smile making its way to his lips. The boy seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as he made his way along with his fellow students.

"Watch out!" a feminine cry brought the blue-eyed teenager's attention back to his surroundings. Screeching brakes sounded from somewhere to his right. His head snapped in that direction only to see a beat-up pickup truck speeding towards him. There was a loud screech as the driver floored the brakes but the truck was still speeding towards the shocked blond.

Right at the last minute, someone pushed him out of harm's way making him land on the pavement with an "oof!" The truck screeched to a halt as the blond raised his head from the ground only to find himself looking at a pair of slender legs. Feeling the heat rise along his neck, despite the chilling weather, the boy picked himself off the ground whilst dusting his jeans.

"Thanks for saving my life, Miss." He said with a bright grin.

"Oye, you alright?" A gruff voice said from his left. Turning around the boy came face to face with an annoyed crimson eyed teenager. "You should see where you are going. You almost got squashed by my truck."

"Ahehe... Yeah sorry 'bout that." The blond grin turned to a sheepish smile, "I guess I wasn't paying attention."

"Idiot," The teenager huffed in irritation. "Just don't step in front of my truck or you might not be so lucky next time." He slammed door of his truck after getting in and drove off.

"Nice meeting you too, Mr. Grumpy." The boy muttered as the red-eyed teen drove off in his truck after slamming the door.

"His name is Kurogane Suwa." A girl quietly spoke next to him.

"It should have been Kuro-grumpy." He said with a laugh as he turned to face the person standing next to him. The girl was around his age; she was dressed in a dark jeans mini skirt with a pair of black skintight jeans underneath. A pale pink upper was pulled over a dark purple shirt. Completing this ensemble was multicolored scarf which the girl was playing with as she timidly stared at the pavement.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. Where are my manners?" The hundred watt grin returned to the blonde's face. He stuck out his gloved hand for a shake, "I'm Fay D. Flourite."

"Sa-Sakura Kinomoto," the girl replied quietly as auburn bangs hid her face from view.

-0-

"That's the one?" a figure dressed in a black overcoat asked the person standing next to him.

"Brown hair, pale skin, petite figure and green eyes," the second person said looking at a photograph in his hand. "Yup, she matches the description pretty well."

"Doesn't have any relatives left, right?" the first one asked as he leaned against his seat and observed the lone girl walk past their car on the opposite side of the street.

"Parents are dead and brother has gone missing," the second one replied as he read off the small file he had received with the photograph. "Poor little thing. She's all alone." A smirk lit up his pale face.

"What about that other kid who lives around this place?" overcoat guy asked flipping through the other file that had been sitting on the dashboard. He appeared to be around twenty one with messy black hair which fell into his blue eyes.

"Lives with an aunt and a cousin," Replied the guy number two who was the same age as his partner. However unlike the other, this guy had silvery blond hair and grey eyes hidden behind a pair of round glasses. "He's the one we have to be careful about. The girl won't be that much of a problem though."

"In that case," guy number one, who sounded like the one in-charge, said as he started the engine, "we'll move in next week. I would like to get them both in one go."

-0-

"Mr. Flourite could you please take a seat already?" the chemistry teacher snapped in annoyance.

"Oh, yes. Erm… Sorry for that ma'am," said blond apologized as he quickly dropped his bag on the first empty seat he saw. Fay groaned inwardly when he realized who it was that was sitting next to him.

"Hey Fay." His curly haired neighbor asked in a low tone as the teacher turned back to face the board, "So how do you like this school so far? Enjoying the first week here?"

"Hello Xing," Fay replied with a polite smile. _Take a deep breath Fay. No need to gnash your teeth just yet. It will pass. Who knows she might just suddenly develop the urge to shut up._ He thought trying to keep the irritation from showing on his face as he pulled out a notebook to note down the lecture.

After about five minutes his attention was drawn away from the lecture by a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in Miss Kinomoto," the teacher said in a dull tone, "what's your excuse for today?"

"O-oh. I h-had to stop by the nurse's o-office, ma'am." She said in the same quiet tone she had used with Fay four days ago when she had pushed him out of harm's way.

"Find yourself a seat and sit down Miss Kinomoto," the teacher ordered as she picked up her lecture notes from the table, "we can discuss this issue after class."

"So to extract sulphur from beneath the ground…"

Sakura bowed her head as she walked in through the doors and made her way to the end of the class. Fay noticed that the girl was walking with a slight limp as she chose an empty table at the very back of the class. Fay found this odd, since two other students had empty seats next to them.

"Wonder why she is limping." Fay muttered to no one in particular.

"Must have fallen from the steps again." Xing answered him. "She is very clumsy, you know, always getting injured due to one thing or another."

This answer didn't convince him much. Sakura did not appear to be one of the clumsy types, the way she moved was the extreme of gracefulness. There was no way that she could lumber and fall. Maybe he could ask her after school was over.

Once the bell rang to announce the end of school, Fay quickly shoved his notebook in his bag and ran after a certain green eyed girl. Lucky for him, they both had the same classes that day.

"Sakura! Hey Sakura, wait up!" he called, hurrying his steps to match hers.

"Oh, um, he-hello." Sakura greeted him quietly as she tried to once again become invisible in the eyes of the world.

"Hi," Fay chirped with a cheerful grin. "How was your week?"

"I-it was fine." Replied the timid girl, as she clutched her bag closer to herself.

"Same here," he said as the two walked alongside. "So anyways, what happened to your leg? Why are you limping?"

"I-I, um, slipped f-from the stairs and sprained my ankle," She replied as she nervously looked around. 'I err…I have…'

"Yo Fay," Jason called out suddenly from next to his locker. His voice made Sakura jump as she looked at the boy then back to Fay, "Come on dude."

"I'm coming guys.' Fay waved his hand at the boy and his companions to let them know he had heard them.

"Y-you should go." Sakura told him as she turned her back to him and limped the other way.

"I'd steer clear of Kinomoto if I were you, Fay," Kyle said in a low tone as soon as Fay got near enough to hear.

"Why would I want to do that?" Fay asked in confusion. "She's nice."

"She's bad luck." Jason said in a hushed voice.

"Bad luck?!?" Fay repeated incredulously. "You want me to avoid her just because you think she's bad luck?"

"It isn't just us who thinks that," Xing said seriously. "Everybody around here believes that. And after all that has happened to those who become her friend, it's kinda hard not to believe."

Fay continued looking at the three of them in disbelief. "This is a joke, right?"

"At five years of age," Xing lowered her voice, just like her friends, so that the others had to lean closer to hear her next words, "her mother was killed in a freak car accident. She was sitting right next to her and yet she came out unscratched."

"She did not even get a single cut." Kyle added.

"Then, two years later," Jason picked up the story. "Her father died in another a pile up."

"And guess how many people survived?" Xing took over.

"How many?"

"None," Kyle answered.

"If you don't count Kinomoto that is," Jason said in the same conspirational tone, "She was the only one who survived."

"But the weird thing is," Xing told him. "Their car was completely squashed. Out of all six, It was in the worst condition."

"And if that isn't enough," Jason said in a hushed whisper. "When she was eleven, her brother went missing."

"Missing?" Fay repeated.

"Yeah." Kyle nodded, "He just vanished… just like that." The boy snapped his fingers as he said the word 'that'. "The police could never even trace his kidnappers."

"And last year," Xing whispered loudly, "her boyfriend, Li Syaoran, drowned in the river when he accidently slipped of the bridge."

"On a date with Kinomoto," Jason told him, "no less."

"They never found his body." Xing said shaking her head sadly. "what a loss, he was really cute."

"After Li's death," Kyle spoke, ignoring Xing's comment about the dead boy, as he opened the door to step outside the school building. "Nobody dares to go near Kinomoto. Even the seniors steer clear of the girl."

"Anyhow," Xing's tone did a one eighty, "enough about Kinomoto. What are you doing over the weekend?"

"Erm… Why do you ask?" Fay asked suspiciously.

"Well, we are all going to for hiking tomorrow," Kyle said with a laugh. "Thought you might want to come."

"Oh." Fay smiled, "Sorry guys. Unfortunately, I'm starting a part time job tomorrow. Maybe some other time?"

"Sure dude," Jason thumped him on the back. "Your loss."

"What are you going to do now?" Xing asked.

"Nothing special," Fay said as he scratched the back of his head. "Although for some reason, I get the feeling that I'm forgetting something."

"Hey!" As if on cue some a gruff voice called out from somewhere behind them, "Is one of you punks Fay Flourite?"

"That would be me." Said blond turned around to face whoever it was that had called. It was the red-eyed teenager from earlier that week, Kurogane Suwa or as Fay liked to think of him, Kuro-grumpy.

"The witch wants to see you in her office." He said as he spun around and started to stomp back inside the school.

"The witch?" Fay repeated in confusion as he turned to look at the three teens standing next to him.

"He means the principle," Xing clarified quickly. "sometimes the students call her that."

"Right." Fay nodded as he hurried inside the building. "Well then see you guys later."

-0-

Caleb was glad that it was Friday night. Between all the classes, two part time jobs and taking care of a younger sister and a sick mother, the poor 16 year old did not have much for anything else. So now when his school was off for two days, he could catch up on some sleep, maybe hang out with his friends for an hour or two and then train after his shifts were over at the stores.

With these thoughts in mind, the red haired boy bade goodbye to his elderly boss and made his way across the deserted and foggy streets. Slightly shivering in the chilly late night air, he pulled up the zipper of his jacket and hurried his pace. The sooner he got home the better.

_Maybe I should bring Sheska to the store with me tomorrow._ He thought as he took a shortcut through an alleyway. _Mum's treatment sessions last for more than an hour and Sheska can't go to the hospital with her._

Since he was so immersed in his own thoughts, Caleb failed to notice two pairs of light footsteps that were following him. Stumbling slightly, he realized that one of the laces of his shoes was untied. The teen bent down to tie it and that is when something whizzed past his ear, embedding itself in the dumpster next to him with a light clack.

Immediately on the alert, the boy whipped around and raised his hands in a sweeping motion. A black translucent layer of a glass-like material followed the motion of his hands, trapping his pursuers inside.

Moving a bit closer to the ones that he had captured, the teen realized that both of his captives were looking at him with blank expressionless eyes. Feeling somewhat amused by the fact that they were not much older than himself, Caleb walked over to the two.

"So which organization are the two of _you _from?" he asked them, not in the least bit unnerved by the fact that they had just tried to attack him. "First time someone sent little kids after me."

"I wouldn't touch the shield if I were you," he warned as his captive made an attempt to touch the shield, "It can be quite deadly."

The poker faced teenagers paid no heed to his word as the blond girl closed her eyes and rushed at the barrier. She phased through it and solidified on the other side. At the same time the brown haired boy touched the translucent sheet of dark energy before him, which melted and flowed down his arm to cover his entire body.

"That's new," Caleb commented in a way one would talk about the weather.

Without uttering a single word, the boy and girl got into fighting stances as though I challenging Caleb to a fight.

"This ought to be interesting." Caleb inwardly smirked as he got into a fighting stance. After all it had been a long time since he had had a decent opponent to fight.

-0-

"And if you need help with anything at all," the principle said. "My assistant Watanuki will take care of it."

"I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE, YOU CRAZY WOMAN!" Watanuki yelled from the file room.

Fay looked at the principle with a raised brow who merely seemed amused by the outburst.

"Just call him if you need help." She told with the bemused look still in place.

"Okay." Fay nodded with a polite smile as he picked up his bag and got ready to leave. "Once again thanks a lot for helping me out Miss Ichihara."

"No need to thank me Fay, I'm just doing my job. After all," she replied in a serious tone, "Ashura did pay for this."

"Oh… Right," Fay said. "So erm… I guess I'll be on my way then. Please let me know if you hear from him."

"Of course," Yuuko smiled, "Before you leave, remind Kurogane to bring me some sake."

"Not more sake..." Fay heard Watanuki groan as the door shut behind him.

Chuckling slightly as he imagined the look of despair on the dark haired senior's face, Fay walked over to the office in which he had seen Kurogane walk in earlier.

"Hey err… blacky," Fay said as he tried to catch the attention of the boy who happened to be moving wooden boxes from one end of the room to the other. Looking around Fay realized that this wasn't an office but a storage room of sorts.

Kurogane paid him no attention at all as he continued to lug the boxes across the room.

"Hellooo, Kuro-grumpy..." Fay said in a sing song voice as he walked in.

"What is it Flourite?" Kurogane grunted as he picked up the box and set it on top of the pile already there.

"Miss Ichihara asked me to tell you to get her some sake." Fay said with a grin.

"That witch and her obsession with sake…" Kurogane grumbled angrily as walked over to one of the boxes and opened the lid to reveal a stash of sake.

"Hyuu. That's a lot of alcohol." Fay said as he peaked inside.

"What was that?" Kurogane gave him a strange look.

"What?" Fay asked in confusion.

"That sound you just made." Kurogane said as he withdrew two bottles from the crate and proceeded to bring out more bottles.

"Oh that," Fay laughed, "You see Kurgz, I can't whistle so I go with that."

It took a while for Kurogane to respond as the name Fay had used, registered in his mind.

"What the hell did you just call me?" the red-eyed teen growled.

"Right now or the a while ago?" the blond asked innocently, well as innocently as he could anyway.

"Listen kid, my name is Kurogane," Kurogane rumbled in a dangerous tone. "And if you like your face the way it is, you will call me by that name only."

"Aww… But I liked Kuro-grumpy better." Fay said with a mock pout.

"I don't like it when people try to mutilate my name," Kurogane spoke in the same tone. "So unless you have a death wish or something, you better call me by my real name."

"Of course," Fay said with a flourishing bow as he turned around and walked out. "See you on Monday, Kuro-grumpy."

"HEY!!!" he could hear Kurogane cursing stupid drunk principles and annoying blonds all the way down the hallway. Shaking his head slightly he exited the school and made his way across the darkening streets towards his apartment complex. Since it was winter the sun set quite early and besides their school had let up at four that day. Because he had to spend almost two hours in Yuuko Ichihara's office discussing some important matters it was now way beyond sunset.

Just two blocks away from his destination, Fay heard sounds of laughter and jeering from a dark alleyway. Despite his brain screaming at him to just get the hell back to his apartment, Fay turned and followed the sounds.

"You're a freak," A familiar voice said in disgust. "You should know better than to try and hang out with us."

"Why don't you just disappear like everyone else?" a second recognizable voice said.

Fay heard some light whispers and sobs but was unable to make out the words that had followed the last comment.

"This is just a warning," he heard another familiar voice say coldly. "next time we won't be so lenient with you."

"Hey!" Fay asked curiously as he walked closer to his three new friends. "what are you guys doing over here?"

"Oh, hello Fay," Xing smiled warmly. "we were just teaching Kinomoto a lesson about what happens to freaks who forget their place." she said the last words with venom lacing her tone.

"kinomo.. Is that Sakura?" Fay gasped as he looked at the shaking form on the dirty alley floor.

"Don't worry Fay," Jason said as he thumped his back in a friendly way. "She won't bother you again."

"Bother me?" Fay asked as he felt his temper rising. "Why the hell did you beat her up like that? She was never bothering me."

"Chill out Flourite," Kyle said calmly. "Somebody had to remind her of her place. You should choose yours wisely."

"Is that a threat?" Fay narrowed his eyes as his own grew cold.

"Not if you don't want it to be." Kyle answered coolly.

"You guys are sick," Fay spat out in disgust as he walked over to Sakura and crouched down next to her.

"Wrong choice, Flourite," Kyle said as he his back towards him. "Let's go guys."

The other two followed him wordlessly. Xing cast a look in his direction over her shoulder before walking away as well.

"Are you alright?" Fay asked as he tried to support the brown haired girl.

"DON'T. TOUCH. ME." Sakura snapped as she slapped his hand away. Her eyes were bright with angry tears. "I can take care of myself. I have been doing so for more than a year now." She said through gritted teeth as she picked herself off the ground on wobbly legs and took a few steps away from him.

"I'm just trying to help." Fay said quietly.

"I. don't. need. your. help." She said as she staggered away from him towards the mouth of the alley. Fay made no move to stop her but rushed forward once he saw that Sakura had fallen face first onto the cold hard concrete sidewalk.

"Sakura! Hey, Sakura." He shook the girl's shoulder but got no response. Turning her over, he realized that she had fainted. With a frustrated sigh Fay ran his hand through his hair before putting an arm under her neck and the other under her legs to pick her up in bridal style. Using his foot Fay kicked her bag into the air and easily caught it in the hand that was under her neck.

"Like it or not, you'll be getting my help Kinomoto." Fay muttered as he started walking.


	2. Chapter 2

She walked out of the room, one hand on her head due to the nauseous feeling threatening to make her heave.

She had no idea where she was when she found herself waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, in a bed that was not her own, in a room that was far too… different… from her own, clean bandages wrapped on her arms and scraped knees. Raising her hand to her head she felt the gauze wrapped around it. Confused about where she had managed to end up this time, Sakura had cast a look around her.

Only one thing was clear to her, she was not at the orphanage. As soon as she thought about her caretakers at the orphanage, she was overwhelmed with worry. Arashi and Sorata would be so worried. It was evident from the light absence of darkness in the fog outside the window that it was daytime. This meant that she had been missing for at least an entire night and no one would have been able to inform her caretakers of her whereabouts.

Now she felt quite stupid for not keeping any contact info on her. No sooner had these thoughts entered her mind, her nausea doubled in intensity. Stumbling through the living room, she tried to reach the kitchen. With shaky hands she filled herself a glass of water from the tap in the kitchen sink. Gulping quickly, she let the cool liquid wet her parched throat. Clutching the shelf she waited for the ill feeling to subside. Once her head stopped spinning, she looked over herself. Her arms were bandaged and so was her head, she had felt the gauze under her fingers earlier. Looking down she saw that she was still dressed in her own clothes but was no longer wearing her shoes or her long socks, the numerous cuts on her legs had also been cleaned and bandaged.

Unsure of where exactly it was that she had ended up, the teenager observed her surroundings. She was standing in the small kitchen of what appeared to be a two room apartment. One room serving as the living room with kitchen attached to it and the other as the bedroom. It seemed quite comfortable to live in for a single person since small apartment was adequately furnished.

A little movement on the couch in the living room caught her eye. It was occupied but she was unable to identify the occupant with hundred percent surety. The reason? Well it was due to the simple fact that person was sleeping facedown with a blanket pulled over their body, messy blond hair sticking out from underneath the blanket. Messy blond hair. It took her a while to remember who she had been with when she had fainted on the sidewalk. Of course! That was Fay Flourite asleep on the couch.

Just then the blond groaned lightly as he shifted from his position and fell off the couch with a loud yelp. The way he had fallen was quite funny so it took quite an effort on Sakura's part to suppress her giggles. Unfortunately that seemed to put some strain on her injured stomach, gasping at the sudden pain that shot through her side, Sakura steadied herself clutching the shelf where she had set the glass down earlier. The dizziness had returned with full force. Taking in deep breathes; she willed the pain to stop and her head to stop spinning. As the pain started to recede she became more aware of her surroundings once again. Someone was standing over her.

She realized that somewhere during the pain attack, she had doubled over. Straightening up Sakura found herself looking into a pair of concerned blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" Fay asked as he supported her and led her back to the bed. "You shouldn't be moving around." Her head was still spinning so she just led him guide her, after all despite her awareness to her surroundings, it was still quite hazy for her to make her way around the place on her own.

"Don't exert yourself," the blond her gently as he pulled the covers back over her body once she was sitting in the bed. "Just let me know if you need anything.'

"I have to go." She said in a weak voice as she tried to get up.

"You should rest before trying to leave," Fay repeated in a firm tone as he stopped the girl from moving.

"But Sorata and Arashi don't know where I am," She protested. "They'll be worried sick about me."

"Sorata and Arashi?" the boy asked.

"The caretakers at the orphanage," She said as she tried to get out of the bed once again, only to be stopped gently by Fay's hand.

"I'll let them know where you are," He offered, "and once the fog let's up I'll drop you there, okay?"

"What?" she was shocked. "Wh…? Why would you…"

"It's no problem at all, really." He grinned at her widely. "I have to go to work in a couple of hours, so I'll drop you on the way. That way you won't have to walk too much."

Before she could respond to this she was cut off by loud music blaring from somewhere near the door. She winced slightly at the loud guitar and drums, Fay looked at her apologetically as he hurried towards the source of the noise.

_On the ground I lay_

_Motionless in pain_

_I can see my life passing before my eyes…_

The song was turned off as Fay pressed a couple of buttons on what appeared to be a stereo player.

"Sorry about that," He grinned sheepishly, "forgot to turn it off last night."

"I'm a really lazy person in the mornings," He clarified when Sakura threw him a puzzled look. "and setting the alarm on the stereo means that way I just _have_ to get out of bed on time." the girl nodded slightly before wincing as the motion caused a fresh wave of pain to attack her.

"I'll get you some medicine and breakfast," Fay told her as he exited the room. "Stay in bed, okay?" she could hear him rummaging about in the kitchen.

With nothing else to do, Sakura decided to look around once more. Earlier she had not really paid much attention to the room's décor since she had been freaked out by the fact that she was not at the orphanage.

The room was quite simple. The walls were painted in a baby blue color, a beige color tiled floor, a simple wardrobe with an attached bath. Three navy blue floor cushions were arranged in one corner of the room right next to which were a couple of guitars, an acoustic and an electric. A small silver colored flute was placed in a stand on a low table next to the cushions.

Looking to her right she saw that a small side table was placed next to the bed she was in. There were three photo frames placed on top of it. There was a photograph of Fay with an amber eyed girl with blond hair that fell over her shoulders all the way to her knees. An innocent smile played across her face as a grinning Fay leaned against her with his arm slung around her shoulder. A dark haired man in his late thirties stood a little way behind the two. The Fay in the photograph seemed no older than fourteen.

Next to this one was a picture of seven year old Fay hanging of the shoulders of a twenty seven year old version of the blond haired girl. The girl stood next to a brown haired man with blue eyes who seemed to be twenty nine years of age. The man in the photograph was laughing while at the blond seven year Fay who also hung from his shoulders. Wait a minute… there were two Fays?

_So Fay must have a twin._ Sakura thought as she picked up a third frame in which there were only Fay and his twin along with the young blond haired girl. They were both laughing at the girl who was pouting angrily. The girl was soaked through. In this picture the three kids seemed to be somewhere around the age of twelve.

"That's my twin brother and Freya in that picture with me." Fay's voice made Sakura quickly replace the frame back on the table.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Sakura trailed off when she saw the breakfast in Fay's hand. "You made so much?" the girl asked in shock.

"Well growing girls such as yourself need their food." Fay replied with a laugh as he set the tray down on the bed next to her.

The breakfast consisted of toasted bread, fried eggs, bacon, pancakes and waffles.

"Sorry, I'll go get the plates." Fay gave her an embarrassed grin before he ran back to the kitchen and brought back said items.

"Wow, you're a good cook." Sakura said as she took a bite from the pancakes.

"That's thanks to my uncle Ashura," Fay nodded his head to the photograph of the dark haired man. "He taught me everything I know about cooking. Which actually happens to be a lot." He added s he put a waffle in his plate.

"Do you live here by yourself?" Sakura asked, noticing the absence of other people.

"This is the first time that I have been allowed to." Fay confessed as he ate.

"But aren't you a little young to be living alone?" the girl inquired.

"Not really." Fay shrugged in response, "I have to start doing that sooner or later."

"Is that your mother and father in that photograph?" Sakura asked as she cut the pancake. "They look really cute together."

"Yeah," Fay nodded. "They did."

"Did?" the girl asked in surprise.

"They died when I was twelve." Fay replied in a quiet tone. "My brother too."

"Oh. I'm so sorry," Sakura lowered her head. "I s-shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright," Fay gave her a smile.

"S-still, I should not h-have pried." Sakura shook her head.

"You're stuttering again." Fay commented as he picked up the frames from next the table and showed her the photograph of himself with his family.

"This one was taken on our mom's birthday." Fay told her as he grinned, recalling some distant memory. "That was the first time we got scratched by a cat." Sure enough now that she looked at the picture more closely, she could see Fay and his brother's arms covered in tiny red marks.

"This one was taken on when we pulled a prank on Freya," Fay showed her the picture with the twins and the wet blond. "And this is the one we took when me, Uncle Ashura and Freya were living in Celes."

-0-

"Watanuki, come in my office." Yuuko ordered in a serious tone.

"What is Yuuko-san?" the bespectacled teenager stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him as quietly as possible. The principle was lost in deep thought as she stared at something absentmindedly. This confused the teenager greatly. Yuuko was never serious when she talked to him unless…

"Take a look at this." She finally said as she laid out that morning's paper before him. The major headlines were about how some of the leading organizations of the state were giving out scholarships to the talented students.

"Err…" the teen read the report and look up with a confused expression. "You want me to try out for the school talent show?"

"I wasn't talking about the scholarships Watanuki." Yuuko shook her head and pointed to another smaller article at the bottom of the page. This one was about a missing teenager from a neighboring town.

"Another one?" Watanuki sighed in exasperation. Taking a deep breath the boy calmed himself before looking up. "What should I do?" his tone had taken on a business like quality.

"Take Suwa along," replied the raven haired principal, "visit the places where he worked and confirm if _they_ were behind this."

"Yes Yuuko-san." The boy gave a short bow before turning around and exiting the office.

-0-

"Let's go." Kurogane grunted as he parked the truck outside a rundown neighborhood and got out of his truck. Watanuki mimicked his actions silently, the two of them made their way across the place coming to a stop outside brick building with graffiti on its walls.

"This is the place." Watanuki affirmed as he looked at the piece of paper in his hands, it was an address. Kurogane wordlessly moved forward and rapped the door with his knuckles. Just when he was about to knock once again, the door opened a crack but he couldn't see anyone peeking outside.

"Hello there." Watanuki asked kindly as he looked at the crack somewhere at the level of his knees. "Is your mother home?"

"Mommy is in the kitchen." The little girl replied.

"Could you get her for us?" the boy requested in a gentle tone.

The girl nodded as she closed the door.

"Mommy," they heard her yell in a childish manner. "There are some boys here to see you."

Seconds later the door was opened once more. This time by a tall woman in her mid thirties, her red hair tied back in a ponytail, an apron that read 'world's best mom' thrown over her casual clothes.

"Yes?" she asked looking at them expectantly.

"ma'am," Watanuki said as he gave a slight bow. "We're here about Caleb."

"Oh." The woman's small smile vanished as she looked at them wearily. "Come on inside." She held the door open for the two teenagers before leading them down the hallway leading them to small but messy living room.

"Excuse the mess please." The woman apologized as she quickly picked up some dolls from the sofa, clearing it for them to sit. "I haven't been at the best of my health for sometime so it's really hard to clean up. Sheska, honey, could you take these to your room, please?"

"Okay." The little redhead said cheerfully as she took her dolls and skipped away.

"We are really sorry to bother you like this ma'am." Watanuki gave her another apologetic bow before sitting down on the sofa.

"That's okay," The woman sighed. "Not many of his friends have come by to check for Caleb. But," the woman added thoughtfully as she observed the two through narrowed eyes, "you two are not from around here, are you?"

Seeing the mute faces of the two teenagers she heaved a sigh, "You're from Sahil, right? Did _she_ send you?"

"If by _she_ you mean Yuuko-san," Watanuki replied. "Then yes she did."

"Yuuko-san?" the woman repeated with a bemused expression. "So, Ichihara goes around by that name now, does she?"

"Ma'am we were sent here to investigate the kidnapping of your son." Watanuki informed her in a professional tone.

"A school principle sent her students to investigate a kidnapping," the woman half laughed in amusement, half growled in anger, "so that's how it is now."

"Ma'am this is just…" the boy started but was cut off by Caleb's mother.

"I thought I had made it clear to her back then," the woman growled angrily, "I did not want any part in this stupid war. I already lost my husband for its sake, didn't I? And now those bastards have taken my son."

"If you think your stating 'I don't want to take part in this war' will get you out of this whole mess," Kurogane low voice was calm yet one could feel the anger buried in its depths, "then you're nothing but a fool."

The woman looked at the teenager in surprise.

"You're not the only one who's lost important people in this war," The red eyed teenager continued. "Running away and going into hiding is going to get you nowhere."

"If you still think that way," the woman laughed bitterly. "Then you have a lot to learn, boy."

Kurogane's eyes narrowed. No one called him a boy and got away with it.

"There was a time when I would have agreed with you," Caleb's mother said in a quiet tone. "But that was long ago. Now, I want nothing more than to have my son and daughter, live a life free from the pains I had to bear."

"And you think living his way," Kurogane snorted. "You have given them that?"

"No," the woman admitted. "But I _have_ tried to shelter them from it."

"Ignorance is not a shelter." The teen said.

"Caleb was not ignorant of what was going on," The woman clarified. "But that did not stop him from getting kidnapped. That bastard is going to do to him what he did to my husband." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"We are trying to get find out where your son was taken to."

"Knowing that is not going to get him back." The red head replied in a low tone.

"You can't be sure unless you try." Watanuki spoke as he looked her in the eye.

"If Ichihara sent you," Caleb's mother's tone was calm and low. "Then you would know that I can tell when someone is lying, right?"

"Ma'am, we want happy lives too," Watanuki lowered his gaze before he looked away. "But in order to do that we need your help. You are the only one who can help us out."

"You have to leave," the woman stood up abruptly. "Now!"

"But…" the bespectacled teen started only to be cut off by the red-haired woman. "I know what you want; I would have helped if you had the time. You have to go. Now!" she repeated urgently as she hurried out of the room towards her daughter's room.

"Huh?" Watanuki exchanged a glance with Kurogane before following the woman.

"I'm dying. The more I use it, the weaker I become," She admitted as she halted in the hallway and turned to look at the two boys. "Ichihara knows it. I'm sorry if I try to locate them I will die. I can't track at such a large scale anymore."

"What does that have to do with us leaving?" Kurogane asked.

"_They_ are coming for Sheska," Was the reply.

"Take her to Ichihara," the mother ordered as she opened the door to her daughter's room and picked up the young girl. "Keep her safe and don't let her find out about what happens after now."

"After now?" Watanuki repeated the confusion evident in his voice.

"Sheska honey," the mother addressed the young girl, "these boys are going to take you to aunty Yuuko, okay? I want you to be a good girl when you stay with her."

"What about you, mommy?" the girl asked.

"Mommy has some work to do, honey." The red head whispered as she kissed her daughter on the head. "You be a good girl, okay?"

"Okay." Sheska nodded.

"You take her to the truck and wait for three minutes, after that you drive straight for Sahil." The woman ordered Kurogane as she handed her daughter to the teen. "As for you," she looked at Watanuki, "you come with me. Don't worry he will meet you at Ichihara's office." The woman added when the teen opened their mouths to protest.

"What? But won't that…"

"You want the information or not?" Caleb's mother asked the bespectacled teen. "Good. Now you!" She looked at Kurogane, "get going."

The red haired woman led Watanuki to a small study at the very back of the apartment.

"There's a fire escape outside this window. My car is parked right next to it. You can leave on that." She told him as she locked the door to the room. "They'll be here soon but they won't follow you or that other boy. The keys are on the table next to the window."

"You said you'll give us the information," Watanuki said quietly, "but wont that… kill you?"

"It will," the woman nodded as she sat down on a chair, "but it doesn't matter. Not as long as you promise to find Caleb and get him back to Sheska."

They heard Kurogane's engine roar to life and grow distant.

"He is not… around here…" the woman's breathing was slowing down as her eyes glazed over, "he's under rocks… and a big mass of water… to the west … of the… shore…" the woman's head nodded of on her chest.

"Ma'am?" Watanuki shook the woman but got no response. "Hello, ma'am?"

'I'm sorry." The boy whispered once he realized that she was no longer breathing. "I hope I am able to keep the promise." With that the boy climbed out of the window. It was only a few minutes later that the door to the room burst open to reveal a handsome twenty one year old man with messy black hair and blue eyes. Next to him stood his silver-grey haired partner.

"The girl is not here." The first one said as he looked at the woman once.

"Did she give her to someone?" the second mused.

"It's a possibility." The first replied as he cast a look around him, eyes coming to a rest over the unmoving figure of the red haired woman for a short while before the man averted his gaze.

"Get us out of here." He turned to his partner who just gave a nod. There was a small swish and the two men were gone, leaving behind nothing but the corpse of Caleb's mom.

_**A/N: ah, finally, I finished chapter two. You guys have no idea, how many times I picked this chapter up and then left it after a couple of lines. Anyhow now I have reread chapter one, corrected my grammatical errors (that I could find. Feel free to point out anything that I might have missed)**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it. (Even though I know it's going pretty slow at the moment. Don't worry though. Things will definitely get exciting as we proceed.)**_

_**Don't forget to leave a review. (constructive criticism is appreciated as well.)**_

_**Ciao!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: oh look! An update… ;)**_

Chapter 3

Jade eyes opened to the constant beeping of a digital alarm clock. Quietly, the auburn haired girl rose from her bed and turned off the source of the noise with a gentle tap of her hand. Noiselessly, she opened the door to her small bedroom and crept down the hallway towards the bathroom at the end.

She was the only person at the orphanage who had a room to herself, even though the room itself was quite small. Arashi and Sorata had to provide her with one after several 'accidents' all of which involved Sakura getting injured. Unable to do much about the fact because of the fact that Sakura never told them who was responsible, the two had cleared out a small store room on the second floor of the building and turned it into her bedroom.

Even now, though, the girl would sometime limp back to the orphanage. But no matter what her two guardians said or did, the girl ever told them the ones responsible. Her getting beaten up was almost a routine by now, but the girl refused Sorata or Arashi's offer to drop and pick her up from school. After several long talks with the jade-eyed teen, the adults had to give in and let her continue dealing with things on her own.

"I-I'm leaving for school now." Sakura announced in her usual stuttering manner as she headed out the door.

Stuttering. Something the girl had started doing after her boyfriend's death a year back. An old lady on her way back home from the grocery store had come across an unconscious Sakura on the stone structure. The aged woman had obviously called the police to the scene along with a doctor. The teen had remained in a coma for almost a day and had woken up with partial amnesia.

Finding no evidence of an assault or anything of the sort the police had written it off as an accident and left it at that. The adults had believed it to be a misfortunate event and forgotten about it. But the kids and teens? Oh. _They_ were a whole new story. Some said it had been all of Kinomoto's bad luck that had rubbed off on the poor, ignorant Li kid. Some said the boy had been trying to impress her and drowned in his attempt. Some went even so far so as to claim that she had pushed him off the bridge herself.

No one really knew what had transpired on the bridge that day. And today… today, one whole year had passed since he had died. Hoping that somehow she would just become invisible to the eyes of the world, Sakura started walking towards the school.

-0-

It was a Monday morning and like every winter, the fog had decided to choke the weak rays of sunshine before they made it to the town of Sahil. A yellow bus stopped outside the red brick building of Reservoir High and students began making their way across the grassy lawns towards the entrance of the school building. Amongst these students, was a rather handsome blond whose crystal blue eyes scanned the crowd of students as he walked amongst them.

A cheerful grin formed across his lips as he found what he was looking for inside the building, standing near an open locker.

"Hey Sakura!" he called out brightly, making the green eyed girl jump in surprise which caused her to drop the books that she was holding in her hand.

"H-hi." The girl replied in a quiet voice as she set about to pick her books off the tiled floor.

"How was your weekend?" Fay asked as he helped her with her books.

"O-okay," came a timid reply.

"Mine wasn't bad either. I started a new job," the blond said as he fell in step next to the brunette as the two made way towards their first class. "But I had quite a lot of work. One of the waiters at the café had called in sick."

"The manager was muttering a lot about how much she keeps on getting sick," he continued, ignoring the fact that the two were receiving strange looks from all the kids in the hallways.

"Kinomoto's gotten to the new kid now."

"He's a total goner."

"Is this her way of marking the anniversary of that Li's death?"

"Wonder how long blondie is gonna last…"

"Hey, Sakura," Fay said in a loud voice. "Did you know that bad luck cancels out bad luck?"

The girl looked up in surprise.

"Yeah, that's right," he said even more loudly so that everyone around them could hear, "stick two unlucky people together and viola! No more accidents!" That shut most of the teens up. But there were still a few who were persistent.

"So Fluorite," Kyle sneered as the said teen walked past him."I hope you've made reservations for yourself in the graveyard."

"I don't think I'm gonna need that sort of place just yet, Kyle," Fay flashed him a bright grin as he continued walking next to the jade-eyed girl.

"Why a-are you sticking up f-for me?" Sakura asked quietly as she lowered her head even further.

"Because that's what friends do," Fay replied simply as the two entered their classroom.

The whole class fell silent when the brunette made her way to the very back of the class. Most of the students started talking in hushed whispers, when after almost a year, Sakura Kinomoto, was not sitting by herself.

"Y-you don't have to do this for me." She said in a quiet voice that only the blond next to her could hear.

"Not really," Fay grinned at her. "It's like I said, this is what friends do."

-0-

The final bell of the school rang and students began pouring out of their classes, heading towards the exit. Sakura and Fay were among them. The two were walking behind a group of loud girls. Some of the students still gave them weird looks but Fay chose to ignore them. Sakura on the other hand did what she had done for the better part of her grade. She kept looking down at her feet as she made her way towards the double doors.

"Did you hear?" one of the girls asked her friend in an excited voice. "This year there's going to be a special prize for the top three winners."

"Yeah," nodded another, "I heard they're giving cash prizes and scholarships."

"I saw the notice during lunch," the third one said.

"So are any of you going to participate?" the first one asked.

"Nah, I don't need the scholarship," the second replied with a careless wave of her hand. "And my allowance is more than all three prizes combined."

"I'm thinking about giving it a shot," the third said with a small shrug.

"Are you going to try Sakura?" Fay cocked his head to one side as they walked out into the weak, winter sunshine.

"N-no." she shook her head, without looking up.

"Really? Why not?" Fay asked in surprise.

"W-well I…"

"Hey Fay, can I talk to you for a second?" a girl called out from behind them. Fay turned around and found himself looking at Xing.

"Hmm?"

"Alone?" she looked pointedly at Sakura.

"No," Fay shook his head. "I'm pretty sure you can say whatever it is in front of Sakura."

Xing looked offended by Fay's refusal but after a short while overcame her anger and stepped closer to the blond. "Watch your back." She whispered before stepping away and walking towards the bus.

"Huh?" The blond watched her retreating back in confusion.

"They think I'm going to kill you too," Sakura said quietly.

"Is that so?" Fay gave a loud chuckle. "I don't kill that easy, Sakura. You don't need to worry."

"Aren't you taking the bus?" Sakura asked when she noticed him walking along her side as they headed out the main gates.

"I'm going to work," the blue-eyed teen replied. "And the bus takes a longer route."

The two walked in silence for a while, walking past various other students. None of them however called out to say goodbye to Sakura. Not that Fay had expected them to.

"What about you? I remember Mr. Sorata said something about you looking for one."

"M-me?" the girl was surprised that her guardian had told that to this boy.

"Ahan."

"Y-yeah, but I didn't find any," she admitted feeling a bit surprised and embarrassed that her guardian had asked this boy to help her look.

"Well, then Sakura, today is your lucky day." Fay said cheerfully. "We have a spot open at the Cat's Eye Café."

"I um…" Sakura started, unsure of what she was going to say.

"I'm pretty sure you'll make an even cuter waitress."

The brunette could feel her cheeks burning but if Fay could see her red face, he chose to ignore it.

"Here we are," the blue eyed teen announced as they came to a halt outside an average looking building.

"Isn't the Cat's Eye across the road?" Sakura asked as she noticed the building in said direction.

"Yeah, this is where the owner stays," Fay gave her a wide smile. "We're here to get you a job. Then we'll head over to work."

-0-

"We have one of the targets in sight," a blond haired girl spoke into the cellular phone that she held against her ear, "Yes, it's the girl… No, he's nowhere in sight… There's another guy with her… Okay."

"He want us to wait till she's by herself." She told the brown-haired boy sitting next to her in the bench at the bus stop. The boy was dressed in a pair of grey jeans and a long black overcoat. His brown hair fell into a pair of chocolate brown eyes which were currently locked in on a pair of teenagers a short distance away from them. The boy himself appeared to be no older than sixteen.

"No use hanging around in plain sight then," the teen spoke quietly as he got up and brushed clothes. "Let's head over to the car."

"I think I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee," the girl said thoughtfully as she watched the brown haired girl and the blond walk into the building opposite to the café. This girl was also in her mid-teens, probable fifteen about to be sixteen-ish type.

To the onlookers, she would have seemed like an innocent, sweet looking girl. The only thing which claimed her to be otherwise, was the malevolent glint in her brown soulful eyes.

"Wait a second," the boy's eyes narrowed in alarm.

"I'll be back before you know it," she told him, angling her hat to cover some part of her face. She put her hand into her jacket and pulled out a pair of big sunglasses. She adjusted them on her nose and crossed the road. Her knee-length, golden locks shimmering even in the dull sunlight of the winter sky.

-0-

"Alright!" Fay clapped his hands enthusiastically as they exited the door. "See, it was that simple. Now we can work together."

"Th-thanks," Sakura gave him a small smile.

"No problem," the blond replied, leading the girl towards the side entrance to the café. "This is where all the employees enter the shop from. That over there is the locker room for female employees," he pointed towards the rightmost door. There were three doors on the wall next to them. "This side up is the male locker room," he pointed to the door in the middle. "And this last door leads to the kitchen which in turn opens up to the Café. You wait right here, I'll go get someone to give you your waiting outfit."

"Okay," the girl nodded. Fay deposited his bag next to her and hurried into the kitchen. Five minutes had passed and Fay was still not back. Sakura was beginning to get nervous now. How would the other employees react when they find out that she was going to work there? Would they just ignore her or would they beat her up till she quit?

She really shouldn't have let Fay get her this job. What if they saw her and apart from making her quit, they also made Fay quit? The first person who was not running away from her might start to hate her for that. Then what? Oh, maybe if she just left quietly, no one would notice and it would be okay.

She could always look for other jobs. She didn't want Fay to lose his, for her sake. Just when she was about to leave, the side door burst open and a pale, raven haired boy walked in.

"… the last time, no!" his face carried an expression of annoyance as he almost yelled at the person coming after him.

"Aw, but come on, it will be fun." Another pale boy followed the first one inside. The newcomers were identical with only small differences. The first boy had cold, blue-grey eyes and completely messy, windswept hair that made him look sort of intimidating. The second boy had hair that fell into his greenish eyes, something that made him look quite innocent and sweet.

"What part of no don't you understand?" the blue-grey eyed boy let out an irritated growl.

"The no part," the second one replied simply.

"You can go if you want Subaru but I am not going to some stupid amusement park," the first one said firmly.

"Would you rather-" the boy called Subaru fell silent once he noticed Sakura gaping in their direction. "Oh, hello."

"H-hi." Realizing the fact that these two could be one of her future rejecters, the girl lowered her head.

"You must be the new girl," the grey-blue eyed boy said.

"Hai." She nodded, not daring to meet their gazes.

"Kamui, look at what you did," Subaru lightly punched the other boy on his arm. "You scared her with your death glare."

"OH MY GOD!!!" a shrill cry made all three of them cringe. "She is so cute!!!" seconds later Sakura found herself being hugged to death.

"Fay, why didn't you tell me your girlfriend was so cute?" The word 'girlfriend' left Sakura too shocked to actually notice the light shade of pink that had crept on the addressed boy's cheeks. Oh, no. she was much too busy trying to stop herself from growing brighter than a tomato.

"She is not my girlfriend, Tomoyo." Fay replied awkwardly.

"Oh," Tomoyo let go of the brunette, "I'm sorry." She apologized quickly.

"Th-that's alright." Sakura scuffled her right foot.

"I'm Tomoyo," she smiled as she held out her hand for the brunette to shake.

"S-Sakura." The other girl replied timidly as she shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Tomoyo beamed. "I am so glad you're gonna be working here with us."

"Hi Kamui, Subaru," she waved her hand in the direction of the identical looking boys, who were watching the raven-head with astonished expressions. "Alright, Fay. I'll take it from here. You go change and take up the counter." She made shooing motions with her hands before dragging the stunned, jade-eyed girl to the female locker rooms.

-0-

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Tomoyo waved towards Sakura and Fay as they left the café.

"Bye Tomoyo." Fay waved back.

"Does she go to another school?" Sakura asked as the two walked through the slightly darkening streets.

"Yeah," Fay nodded, noticing that the girl was once again, no longer stuttering. Maybe she did that only when she was tense and uneasy.

"And what about those twins, Kamui and Subaru?"

"They go to Tomoyo's school," the blond answered. "They're actually her seniors by a year but that girl can make anyone obey her. And she doesn't even have to growl."

"Was that other girl still on leave?"

"Chinhuang caught a really bad cold," Fay replied. "She's on leave for another two days." (Did I spell her name right? Too lazy to actually go and check.)

"Oh."

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow at school." Fay grinned at the girl.

"Yeah," a soft smile touched her lips. "Bye." For the first time in over a year, she actually felt happy. Not only had Fay helped her get a job, she had made friends. That's right, Friends. Plural. People who were actually accepting her. Not running away from her but allowing her to stay in their midst. They were not going to beat her up or make her quit because she was miss bad luck.

They seemed nice enough. Just like him.

"Hey Fay," she called to the blond.

"Yeah?" the blue-eyed teen stopped walking and turned around to face her.

"Thanks." She smiled. Not a small weak smile like all those previous ones but a big joyful one.

-0-

"Let's go." The brown haired boy climbed out of the black jeep.

"…" his blond haired partner shut the passenger side door with a small kick.

"Time to bring her in," she smirked as she pocketed her sunglasses. Her brown haired, chocolate-eyed partner gave a small nod he watched their target bid farewell to the blond guy who had been with her all that time.

-0-

"They're moving out," the blue-eyed haired man snapped his phone shut. "Get us close to the target." He ordered his silver-haired partner as his eyes narrowed on a seventeen year old youth, with blood-red eyes and a spikey black hair.

"With pleasure," the pale man smirked as he closed his eyes. Moments later, the birds on the roof flew up in alarm, as two men vanished into thin air.

-0-

_**A/N: There you have it. The next chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. If not, then please go head and yell at me and let me know what went wrong.**_

_**The next chapter will most definitely have some action and a lot more suspense. Till then, tata!**_

_**Nims.**_


	4. Chapter 4

It was getting dark very quickly, thanks to the mist settling back in over the town of Sahil. Sakura hurried through the empty streets. Even though a few people had accepted her that day, there were still a lot of other who would love to torment her. And today of all days, she did _not_ want to be found in such position.

Hearing the quiet footsteps behind her, she broke out into a run, not really caring which direction she ran in. She just knew she was heading west and that was the direction in which the orphanage, her home, lay. She turned round a corner and ran into an alleyway only to come to an abrupt halt. It was a dead end. She turned around to run back but noticed that it was already too late. Her pursuers stood there, at the mouth of the alley, blocking her only way out.

-0-

Fay was almost halfway down the road, when he looked up to see the fog settling in, all around him.

"Maybe I shouldn't have let her go back on her own," the blond thought as he stopped walking and looked behind him. The mist cloud was thick enough to hide the spot where he had said goodbye to Sakura.

"Not good," he muttered, remembering that the girl was a bully magnet and was bound to get in trouble if left on her own. He did a one eighty degree turn and retraced his steps back to the place where they had parted. "Sakura?" he called out, when he found no sign of the jade-eyed girl.

Hurrying in the direction, he guessed the orphanage was located in; Fay weaved in and out of various streets. Turning around a corner he saw a flash of brown vanish inside an alleyway. Quickening his own footsteps, Fay followed. He could hear someone talking up ahead in that direction however he was unable to understand what was being said due to his being comparatively far away. As he turned the corner, his jaw almost hit the ground on seeing the person standing there with their back turned to him.

-0-

Her pursuers happened to be two teenagers, around the same age as Sakura. One was a blond haired girl and the other was a shockingly familiar brunette.

"Come along quietly and we won't really have to harm you," the blond spoke. "Much." She added as an after a thought.

"W-who are you?" Sakura's voice was scared.

"Does that even matter?" the brown haired teen that had spoken this time.

Sakura squinted at the boy, trying to identify his half concealed face through the darkness. A loud gasp escaped from her lips as her eyes widened in shock.

"Y-you are-" she cried in disbelief.

"Freya?" at the same time another voice sounded from behind the two teens. "What are you doing here?"

-0-

"Shit!" Kurogane cursed loudly. A car crashed heavily at the spot where he had been a fraction of a second before. The alarms in wailed loudly as its windscreen and windows shattered upon impact. The red-eyed teen rolled to a stop a few feet away from the now totaled vehicle. Brushing of the small shards of glass off of himself, he turned around, eyes narrowing at the sight before him.

Two men, One was dark haired and tan skinned while the other was his exact opposite, fair haired and pale skinned, stood short distance away.

"His reflexes are good," commented the light haired one.

"That much is to be expected," the dark haired one replied impassively.

"I was beginning to wonder when the puppets would make an appearance," Kurogane's frown turned to a lopsided grin.

-0-

Fay could not believe it. The girl that stood before him was none other than…

"Freya?" Fay addressed the blond girl as he advanced towards the three at a cautious pace. "What are you doing here?"

The addressed blond and the boy accompanying her turned around to look at the blue-eyed teen. Without any warning whatsoever, the brunette jerked his hands in Fay's direction. Small black blades formed out of nothing as they whirled towards him. Fay managed to dodge, just a fraction of second before they could have shredded him to bits. Just like their appearance, they dissipated into nothingness.

"Whoa!" Fay exclaimed with a grin as he looked at the brunette. "Those things can seriously injure someone. You should be more careful."

The brown haired boy's eyes narrowed a fraction as he wordlessly swung his arms in a complicated motion, black spinning blades materializing out of thin air with each sweep- all of them heading towards Fay. The blond teen, ducked under the first, sidestepped the second to the right, third to his left. In the time it takes a person to blink, Fay had easily avoided being sliced ten times, advancing towards the brunette with each dodge, so that by the time the last blade diffused into thin air, he was right next to the other two teens.

"You could have really hurt me," Fay said in a cheerful tone as though the other teen had not just attempted to turn him into something similar to minced meet.

"Get the girl," the brown eyed teen ordered the blond girl without removing his eyes from his face. "I'll deal with him."

The girl wordlessly turned around and advanced towards Sakura who was still rooted on the spot eight feet away. Sakura stood there, paralyzed by her fear as the blond girl, Freya as Fay had addressed her, stepped closer and closer. At a distance of almost four feet away, the girl's impassive face gave its first expression. Confusion. The girl looked down towards her feet. A thick layer of ice had encased them and frozen them to the ground.

"I'd rather you didn't," Fay's tone was still cheerful as he cocked his head to the right to look at her, past the brunette standing before him.

"Another one, huh?" a slow smirk spread across the boy's face as he looked at his partner and then back to Fay. He swept his hands in a slow sweep and a layer of translucent black field followed the motion of his hands. However, before he could encase Fay in it, a sheet of ice materialized to envelop the blond teen.

"Fay!" Sakura cried out in alarm when only seconds later the ice began to glow an angry reddish orange from the inside. The glow increased in intensity as all of a sudden the ice exploded outwards, setting loose a wave of fire which expanded outwards. Although the fire itself did not reach Sakura, its heat wave sure did. Freya and the brunette however, received the impact full force.

-0-

Crash!

The heavy bike shattered as though if it were made out of glass, bit and pieces flying away in every which direction.

Ruffling pieces of plastic and metal out of his hair, Kurogane looked at the two men with glinting red eyes as his mouth twisted into a feral grin, exposing his teeth, giving him the overall appearance of a demon from hell. One of his arms was extended in front of him, his fist shut tight in the form of a punch.

"Guess, I won't need a work out later," he said as he retracted his hand back to his side.

The pale skinned man vanished from his spot just as soon as the blue-eyed man rushed towards Kurogane.

-0-

"You okay Sakura?" the jade-eyed girl heard Fay's concerned voice.

"Y-yeah," she replied shakily as she uncovered her eyes. The blue eyed teen was standing right in front of her, looking at her intently, a worried looked plastered across his pale features.

"Okay, just wait here, alright?" Fay told her in a somewhat serious tone. "I won't be long."

Sakura nodded mutely as she stared at the blond who turned around to face her would-be-assailants. A wolfish grin formed on Fay's face as he stepped closer to the fallen brunette. Sakura looked to her right and noticed through the dim light that the blond girl, Freya had been knocked out cold. She had most probably hit her head on the alley wall when that little explosive wave of flame.

"Sorry," Fay said to the boy on the ground. "But I don't intend on letting you capture anyone today. Be it me or Sakura."

The nameless brunette, spun on the ground, simultaneously pushing his lower body above it. A fast swift kick was aimed towards Fay's stomach although the blond jumped out of the way at the very last moment. Twisting in mid air, the teen then proceeded to knock the brown-eyed boy's kick out of the way with his leading leg, while the other leg followed up with a kick to the side of his head.

Fay's hands touched the ground for a mere second before he pushed off of it, only to flip and land gracefully on his feet a short distance away from Sakura.

The brown-haired boy did not seem to be dazed by the kick to his head since he merely advanced with a volley of his own kicks and punches.

A little while into this fight, the boy's hands became enveloped in that translucent black material. A sheet of ice rose to protect Fay from the unknown substance coating the brunette's upper limbs. Although as soon as his hands touched the ice sheet, the black material began to recede, coating his hands instead in the frozen liquid.

The boy swiped his hand in Fay's direction, the sheet of ice, following the motion of his hands this time.

The blonde's eyes widened for a mere fraction of a second before the confident grin was back in place. The ice, which seemed intent on encasing the blond, met a barrier of orange flames which had appeared out of thin air, just like the frozen liquid.

"Stop it!" Sakura's scared voice cried out, freezing the two teens where they stood. The sheets of ice and the barrier of fire both began to flicker in and out of existence, before finally vanishing.

"You're…" the brunette's eyes widened in shock as he gaped at Sakura. Something akin to realization appeared on his features before a large chunk of ice hit him at the back of his head. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

An astounded Sakura stared at the spot where the boy's face had been when he had been standing.

"Let's get out of here," Fay grabbed Sakura's hand as he started running. Too stunned to actually offer any resistance, the jade-eyed girl stumbled after him, not noticing the small frown forming across his face.

-0-

Kurogane ducked to avoid the punch aimed for his head, spun around while still crouching and swung his leg upwards to hit his attacker straight across his chest. Then he aimed another kick at his legs with his other foot and made the former lose his footing.

Landing on one knee, Kurogane sensed the second presence behind him. Ducking under the jab made for his neck, Kurogane rolled away from his second assailant.

Drawing his fist back, the red-eyed teen lunged at the bespectacled man with grey eyes. For a fraction of a second, the man was unnerved however he flipped away from Kurogane all the same. A low growl escaped his throat when his fist met nothing but thin air. Out of the corner of his eye, the teen saw the blue-eyed man coming for him. Spinning around, he brought his leg at towards this one's ankle but the man moved just inches outside of his range by altering his course ever so slightly.

"What's the matter, you bastard?" Kurogane grinned as he saw the man freeze up where he stood.

Kurogane followed his gaze to his attacker's feet. They were frozen to the ground, encased in ice.

"What the…?" Kurogane's eyes narrowed as his gaze shifted towards the blue-eyed man's partner whose whole body seemed to be encased in ice instead of just his feet.

"Looks like Kuro-tan got himself into a tight spot," he heard a voice from somewhere to his right.

"Flourite?" the teen whirled around at the familiar sound.

The blond teen was standing there with the limp form of that Kinomoto girl slung across one of his shoulders. His face was void of his ever present stupid grin and currently set in a serious expression.

"So she's not the only one they're after, huh?" the blond spoke more to himself then the Japanese teen. He flicked his free hand in the direction of his two captives, both of which slumped to the ground not an instant later.

"We should get going now," he said in a quiet voice as he walked past Kurogane, in the direction of the orphanage.

"Wait a second," Kurogane growled as he caught up with the blue-eyed teenager. "How do _you_ know about them?"

"Like I said before Kuro-tan," Fay replied, his grin sliding back into its place so fast that it was scary. "Sakura is not the only one they targeted."

-0-

It was late at night but Kurogane Suwa had yet to return home. He had already called his cousin Souma and told her that he would be coming home late. Right now he was standing in the living room of his principle's house. The raven haired woman was reclining on the low back sofa, smoking from a long pipe as she remained buried in deep thought.

Kurogane could easily sense that this was not like the other times when she had kept him waiting just to irk him. No, she was really serious right now. She was not doing this to annoy the teen.

"Did you ensure their safe return?"She had asked him after hearing his report.

"I dropped off Kinomoto at the orpahange," the red-eyed teen had replied. "Flourite also accompanied me there but after that he was hell bent on shrugging me off. Nevertheless, I tailed him back to his apartment, just to be safe."

"He froze them, you said, right?" she had asked once again.

"Yeah."

"And the Sakura was unconscious?" she had asked again.

"Hn," He had grunted back the reply at which the witch had gotten all thoughtful before completely zoning out. Yuuko stood up abruptly, dropping her pipe on the small side table before marching out of the room. Wordlessly, Kurogane followed. She walked up to the room she had assigned to that dead woman's daughter.

"Sheska, are you awake?" the raven haired woman asked softly as she entered the room.

"Yes, aunty Yuuko," the young red-head replied as she continued playing with her little dolls.

"I need you to find someone for me," Yuuko said as she opened a topmost drawer of the study table in that room. She slid it shut after producing a few sheets of paper and a sketch pencil. "Can you do that?"

"I can try aunty Yuuko," the girl replied as put down her dolls and came over to the woman.

"Alright," Yuuko sat down on the floor next to the girl. "I need you to draw the place where Yuui Valeria is."

"Yuui Valeria?" the girl repeated as she took the pages and the pencil.

"Yes."

"Yuui Valeria," the girl breathed as she closed her eyes, "Yuui Valeria… which one do you want me to find?" she asked after a while, her eyes remaining closed as she positioned her hand over one of the blank sheet.

"The special ones," Yuuko replied. Kurogane just watched this whole exchange in silence as the girl set about her task of sketching something only she could see. At first, it seemed as though if she was merely drawing squiggly lines here and there but after a while the lines began taking form. Minutes ticked by as Kurogane watched the young girl in amazement. Her hand would hover above one point of the page, all the while scrawling furiously before moving to an entirely different position. After almost fifteen minutes, the lines had finally taken the form of two sketches- each one, individually taking half of the page.

The girl opened her eyes slowly after she had put down the pencil. She gave a big yawn almost the immediately after coming out of her trance-like state.

"You should go to sleep now Sheska." Yuuko suggested kindly as she picked up the sketch and handed it to Kurogane before picking up the girl and putting her to bed. "Goodnight dear." She said as she tucked the young orphan in bed and turned around to leave.

"Mommy is not coming to get me, is she aunty Yuuko?" Kurogane heard the sad voice of the girl ask. "Because I can't find her anywhere."

"I'm afraid not," Yuuko replied sadly.

"You will bring my brother back, right big brother?" she directed her question towards the red-eyed teen this time.

"I'll do my best kid," Kurogane grunted, unable to crush the tiny hope in her heart by saying that he was probably gone beyond rescuing by now. "Now go to sleep."

"Goodnight," she said softly as she pulled the covers over her head.

With a heavy sigh, Yuuko switched the light off before leading the tan boy back to her living room. "What do you make of these Kurogane?" she asked in a serious, business-like tone.

Kurogane stared at the professional looking sketches long and hard. One of the pictures depicted a strange ovaloid sort of cylinder with a figure floating inside the liquid. The picture was drawn in such a way that light seemed to be cast from below, perhaps the floor? To the right side of the cylinder, he could see another identical glass container with yet another dark figure suspended inside. The room otherwise was seemingly empty, save for a guy with messy hair, dressed in a dark colored overcoat standing next to the former of the two tanks.

The other half of the picture was that of someone's living room or probably a study room, since the back of a teen was visible, huddled over the desk before the screen of a laptop. The teen had fair colored hair, as Kurogane could tell from the shading done in the sketch. But apart from this little bit of info, the picture couldn't tell him much about anything. Neither of the sketches could.

"Not much," the teen replied in a gruff manner as he handed the page back to her.

"Ah… but of course," the principal smiled in a knowing manner as she settled back into the comfy couch.

"What do you want me to do?" Kurogane asked seriously.

"Keep an eye on them," she replied simply. "And try not to get killed in the process."

"Me, get killed?" Kurogane snorted as he crossed his arms.

The principal regarded him with her crimson eyes for a while before speaking once again.

"Don't mention tonight's events in front of Sakura since she won't remember any of it."

"Won't remember anything?" he repeated questioningly. "Why?"

"That is the price for her freedom." She replied grimly as her gaze became distant as though if reliving an event of the distant past. She remained that way for a while before perking up all of a sudden. "However, that is not something you should be concerned about," she made a shooing motion with her hands. "So run along now and get back home."

-0-

He walked down the familiar dimly lit steel corridor. Having just finished reporting the recent developments in his assignment he still had a few hours to himself before he was due to head back out. His blond partner had retreated to her quarters to rest for that small duration while he… he was going down there.

With a face void of any emotions, he walked past the guards stationed outside various doors with an air of indifference. They wouldn't dare to bother him. While he had to obey his boss, his uncle, there was no way in hell that he was going to listen to some lowly sentry stationed down here in the lower levels. Oh no. They all knew that no one could really control him, except for the boss that is.

A newbie had once tried to stop him from coming down here. The result had been something, none of the other posted here, wanted to experience. As a matter of fact, a few of them even pressed themselves against the steel walls as he walked by.

_Cowards._ The brunette thought in contempt as he stopped next to one of the steel door near the end of the corridor. He pressed his palm down on the translucent, jelly like panel which glowed blue for a while as it scanned for his handprint. The blue turned to a green shade as a small beep sounded and the door slid open. Removing his hand, he walked inside and descended a series of steps before starting down another dark corridor. Panels in the roof of the corridor began to light up as he walked beneath them, fading back to black once he was across. Once again he pressed his hand on top of the scanner, the light turned green and the door slid open with a small beep.

He was immersed in darkness for a while after the door had slid shut behind him but then slowly, different panels in the floor began to light up, in a manner similar to the roof outside in the corridor.

"Hello brother," he greeted in quietly.

_**A/N: I'm back with an update.**_

_**Hopefully it wasn't too disappointing. Don't worry, the excitement is gonna go up a notch in the coming chapters. Till then I will leave you all to ponder on various things such as**_

_**What's with Fay and the ice? And who could the guy with Freya be? And what about the two who attacked Kurogane? And who was the mystery guy in the end? And what exactly was Yuuko seeing when she spoke of Sakura's price? And why exactly am I asking all this from you? **_

_**To see how many of you are brave enough to dare and try to figure it out before I reveal the answers myself. Cyber cookies for anyone who drops by to leave a review.**_

_**Nims**_

_**PS. Feel free to give me your guesses via PM or Review.**_


	5. The Story of my Life

_**A/N: Hmm, so finally I have an update.**_

_**I hope you enjoy reading it.**_

_**OH and don't forget to leave a review.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

_**Btw, the parts in italics are actually just flashbacks or dreams. And the parts in between the slashes are the lyrics.**_

_**Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I totally own "The Story" since I happen to be a part of "30 Seconds to Mars"…**_

_**Kurogane: And tiny manju buns have taken over the human race, secretly controlling the entire world from the shadows.**_

_**Yuuko: And I have decided to give up my obsession for sake.**_

_**Fai: As you can see that neither what Kuro-tan said nor what Yuuko-san declared happen to be true, we can all safely assume that what Nims said is a lie as well.**_

_**Me: Thank you so much for clearing up the misunderstanding Fai. **_

_**Syaoran: since we all know, the truth now, please go ahead and enjoy the story.**_

_**Sakura: and don't forget to leave a review.**_

**Chapter 5**

**The story of my life**

The brown haired youth was stood before the oval cylinder, an impassive expression on his face. The light emitting from square panels in the floor below him gave the room- he currently stood in- an eerie look. Small bubbles of oxygen, being released from the bottom of the liquid filled tank and the slight whirring noise of a life support system running in the background were the only noise in the room, save for the teen's quite breathing.

**// I've been thinking of everything  
I used to want to be //**

A dark figure was suspended in the liquid of the tank, short messy hair gently flowing about its face as the bubbles of air ascended. The person inside, had their eyes closed, their face and body relaxed in unconsciousness.

With a quite sigh, the teen stepped closer to the tank, his expression turning somber as he kept on observing the unresponsive person.

**// I've been thinking of everything  
Of me, of you and me //  
**

"_Are you crazy?" the seventeen year old brunette hissed angrily. "You can't really be serious about this."_

"_Believe me bro," Replied the other seventeen year old boy- his face set in determination. "I'm dead serious."_

"_I won't let you do this." The first teen took a step closer to his sibling._

"_You won't stop me." The other answered in a confident tone._

"_No." the first shook his head. "I will."_

"_Please don't make me do it," he sighed softly, lowering his head a little._

"_I'm sorry, Syaoran," the first one replied taking another step towards the teen. He lightly tapped the metal wall next to him, thin metallic wires shot out of it, wrapping themselves tightly around the boy called Syaoran. "I can't let you do this."_

_Syaoran stood completely unfazed as the wires bound his arms to his sides. _

"_I'm sorry too, bro," Syaoran spoke in a quiet tone, slowly raising his head to meet an identical pair of amber eyes. "But you leave me no other choice."_

"_You'd use _that_ on me," the first teen almost gaped at his bound brother. "Just for a girl?"_

"_**Let me go,"**__ Syaoran said, not answering his sibling's question. "__**And do not stop me.**__"_

"_The others will find out about this, soon." He replied in a calm tone as the wires began to unwind from his body, retreating into the wall._

"_It will be too late by the time they do," Syaoran replied in a similar tone as the wires began to unwind. "I'll make sure of that."_

"_They'll trace her again," the first teen spoke, his gaze travelling to the cylindrical glass tank to his right. The motionless figure of a seventeen year old girl, floated inside. Her brown hair gently wafted around her face as bubbles of air moved past them. Her eyes were closed with a peaceful trancelike state on her face. "And recapture her, when they do. Why do you want to waste your own life when you know there is no hope left for her?"_

"_Because what I did was wrong," he answered simply, pointedly looking the other way. "She doesn't deserve to be in there."_

"_If that's the case, then neither do those two," the brunettes gaze now rested on two similar tanks adjacent to the girl's. Inside, were two identical figures. "But how come you only want to free her?"_

"_Cuz I was responsible for putting _her_ in there." he replied evenly. "And now, I'll do whatever it takes to set her free."_

**// This is the story of my life  
(These are the lies I have created) //**

"_You do realize that I can't lie to uncle if he asks about this," the first boy sighed softly._

"_Syoar-" Syaoran began only to be cut in by his brother._

"_You might as well do it properly if you wanna give her a chance," a gentle smile played on his lips as he looked at the other boy._

_Syaoran gaped at his brother in shock for a couple of seconds before regaining his composure._

"_Thank you." he whispered gratefully as he walked past the boy, stopping after a couple of feet._

"_**You will not tell **_**anyone**_** about who was responsible for tonight's events,**__" He said in a firm tone, face void of any emotion, "__**or what took place here. Also, don't tell anyone about what happened to her or where she is going to end up."**_

"_That should cover the basics, I guess," the first boy said calmly as he started walking away, leaving Syaoran alone in there, with his back turned towards him._

_The teen stopped by the door. "Good luck bro." He spoke softly, a tinge of sadness coloring his tone. Neither of the two turned around to look at the other._

_Then he was gone._

**// This is the story of my life  
(These are the lies I have created) // **

"Whatever it takes, huh, bro?" the brown haired teen looked at his sibling floating inside the tank. "You were such an idiot." He sighed softly, shaking his head before turning around and walking out of the room.

-0-

Her eyes held a depth and wisdom that came with experience and understanding. Experience of everything good and bad. Understanding of everything right or wrong. Depth enough to drown anyone just by meeting her gaze. And wisdom, that spoke of eons of knowledge.

However a she watched the tan skinned teen walk out her front door and down the driveway, her eyes held something else…

Sadness.

She kept watching till he drove off in his pickup truck.

A small sigh escaped her lips as the vehicle disappeared from her field of vision. She let the parted curtains fall back in their proper place, as she walked back to the couch and settled on it. Reaching out for the bottle of alcohol, placed on the coffee table right next to it, her gaze grew distant. Memories of another time began playing in her head as she poured the drink into a small glass.

_It was raining. Drops of water fell from the sky, splattering on every single solid surface they met. A violent wind howled outside adding to the sound of an almost continuous thunder roaring high above. Flashes of lightning would illuminate the deserted streets every now and then. _

_It was in such a thunderstorm, that a barely audible knock had sounded on her front door. _

_Getting up from her comfortable position on the couch, setting the pipe on the small coffee table beside it, she had gone to get the door. The small flames of the candles burning in the room flickered due to her motion, casting strange shadows on the walls of the darkened house._

"_I knew you would come," she stepped aside to allow the person inside._

"_I need your help," the newcomer burst out urgently, the minute he was through her door._

"_I know," she reattached the lock and turned around to face him. In the dim light caste by the flickering flames of the candles, her eyes made out the form of a teenager with pale skin and shivering blue lips. His messy brown hair were plastered against his forehead and his clothes were dripping buckets of water on her floor. But for some reason, just like the boy who paid no mind to his condition, she paid no mind to her soaking carpet._

_There were, after all, other more important things that needed their attention._

**// I'm in the middle of nothing  
And it's where I want to be //**

_She remained silent, allowing the boy to begin the conversation as he saw fit._

"_I know you can't interfere with the events directly," he decided on the direct approach without a moment's hesitation. "But you have to send me back."_

"_And why would I want to do that?" she decided to test his resolve as she poured some sake into a glass and handed it to the boy._

"_Because you want to see her safe," the boy replied before downing the whole thing in one gulp. His shivering lessened visibly. A small smile appeared on his lips. "Just as much as I do."_

"_What of your price?" she questioned him in a serious tone._

"_I'm willing to pay anything." A hint of desperation tinted his otherwise controlled tone._

**// I'm at the bottom of everything  
And I finally start to leave //**

"_Your freedom?" she raised a brow skeptically._

_The boy froze, looking at her with bewildered eyes._

"_For hers." she finished simply, deciding not to worry him any more than he already was. "It _is_ necessary to maintain the balance."_

"_I'll do it."_

_Unsure of, whether it was the effect of the dim lighting of the room or something else, Yuuko still found herself marveling the way his soulful eyes seemed to be set on fire from within. _

_Such was his determination._

**// This is the story of my life  
(These are the lies I have created) //  
**

-0-

"She's still out cold," Arashi spoke softly as she gently shut the door.

"I hope she's fine when she wakes up," Sorata spoke in equally soft tones as the two made their way to their room.

"She will be," his wife assured him gently.

"I guess you're right," the dark haired man nodded once as they stepped inside. "Yuuko _did_ warn us that something like this would happen eventually."

"That was the price, after all," Arashi agreed.

-0-

"_This bridge is one of my favorite places you know," She confessed in a soft tone. _

"_Hmm… Why?" amber eyes looked at her in curiosity._

"_It's the only place where I truly feel at peace." She answered._

**// This is the story of my life  
(These are the lies I have created) //**

"_Oh." The boy standing next to her glanced at his watch for the fifth time ever since they had arrived there ten minutes ago but she had failed to notice. Just like the other four times._

"_You know…" he began but for some reason his gaze became distant. His eyes, cloudy and unfocused._

"_Syaoran?" she asked gently, noticing the brown haired boy space out. "What's wrong?"_

"_Huh?" he blinked twice, turning his head to meet her green eyed gaze. _

_For a fraction of a second, his eyes widened, something similar to disbelief lurking in their depths, but then it was gone._

"_I-it's nothing Sakura." He shook his head, giving her a shaky, sad smile._

"_Something's troubling you." she stated._

"_Troubling me?" He laughed unconvincingly. "Everything's fine, Sakura."_

_Sakura narrowed her eyes as a frown formed on her lips._

"_No really, it's nothing." he shook his head._

"_You know you can tell me anything, right?" She decided to let it drop. He'd tell her when he was ready._

"_Yeah," he agreed softly, his gaze turning distant once more._

_After what seemed like ages, he turned around to face her._

**// And I swear to god  
I'll find myself  
In the end //**

"_Listen, Sakura I-" he broke off abruptly, a look of horror on his face as he whirled around to face something Sakura couldn't see._

"_What is it?" She asked, tensing up herself as she felt some unknown force._

_Before he could answer her question though, she heard someone speak. "Good job Syaoran." The voice sounded so familiar. _

_A figure materialized before them, right out of thin air. The person was someone she had thought she would never see again. "You brought the inhibitor."_

"_Tou-" her shocked gasp was cut short as the words that the blue-eyed, raven haired man had uttered registered in her mind. _

"_No." She shook her head in denial, backing away from them both. "Y-you're working with _them_?" her voice revealed her emotions of hurt and betrayal. It was unclear whether her question was directed at the newcomer or the boy she had been standing next to._

"_I'm sorry Sakura," Syaoran whispered as he stepped closer. "I really am." _

**// And I swear to god  
I'll find myself  
In the end //**

"_Get away from me." She ordered him, taking another step back. But the brunette paid her no mind, taking as many steps towards her as she took away from him. She was forced to stop when her back met the guardrail of the bridge. Yet the boy still kept moving closer. He only stopped when she could feel his breath on her face. He bent a little closer, moving his face to her ear._

"_**You won't remember anything related to our kind." **__Despite him whispering in her ear, his tone was firm. Commanding._

"_Syaoran, please…" she pleaded softly, her mind already beginning to get fuzzy._

"_**You won't remember what you can do." **__He continued on, paying her no mind, just like before. "__**You are just an average girl, with an average life.**__"_

"_Don't do this," she begged him again._

"_Are you done with her yet?" the blue-eyed man made his irritation known._

_She looked in his direction, her eyes locking in at the sight of the man. She remembered the way his blue-eyes used to sparkle with laughter whenever he would tease her. But now, as she looked at that face, into those eyes, she saw nothing…_

_Nothing at all._

_He had changed._

"_**You don't know the guy standing behind me,"**__ Syaoran spoke intently now, almost desperately._

_Sakura blinked. The blue-eyed man was tapping his foot by now. She knew, there was something about him that she should know, but she couldn't. Who was that guy?_

"_Get it over with already, brat." He growled._

_Syaoran stepped away from her, turning around to face the man._

**// And I swear to god  
I'll find myself  
In the end  
In the end //**

"_**Neither of you will remember what happens here."**_

"_What the hell are you doing, kid?" the man growled menacingly as he took a step closer._

"_Saving her." he answered softly._

"_You grew attached with your target, huh?" a cruel smirk appeared on his face. "No matter."_

"_Watch out!" she cried out despite herself as a bench, from the park to their right, flew towards Syaoran._

"_The inhibitor must be captured at all costs."_

_Inhibitor?_

_Was that guy talking about her? _

_Why was he doing this? _

_There was nothing special about her. She was nothing _but_ average. Then why…?_

"_She is a person," Came Syaoran's reply as he dodged it with ease._

"_She's one of us," the man countered simply._

"_We're human too."_

"_Oh?" His brow rose. "Are we now?"_

"_**You will leave her alone!**__" Syaoran growled angrily._

"_But the others won't," he laughed as five more people materialized on the bridge._

_Three of them were teens, just like Syaoran but the remaining two were around the age of twenty to twenty three. One of the older guys was a man with grayish silver eyes and pale blond hair. A pair of round rimmed spectacled rested on his nose. The new arrivals were all slowly advancing towards Sakura._

**// And I swear to god  
I'll find myself  
In the end //**

"_**You never saw her. You don't know who, the inhibitor is!"**__ Syaoran almost yelled. "__**You are all here to capture me, not the girl. She was never here."**_

_As though by magic, all six of her would be attackers, had their attention on Syaoran. It was as if she had become invisible to their eyes._

"_**I ran away. You're here for me."**_

_Sakura could only watch, rooted to her spot by fear and shock, as the boy who had befriended her despite her bad luck, and the other six met head on._

_Syaoran was parrying and dodging their attacks, leading them further, towards the middle of the bridge, away from her. He ducked under a bladed arm swipe, jumped back from a crashing felled tree log, flipped to the right to avoid being hit by the silver haired man who had materialized right there._

_Sometimes he would counter their attacks but it was clear as to who was winning. Syaoran had several cuts on his arms, a really nasty, bleeding cut on his cheek and blackening bruise on the right side of his face. There were plenty more beneath his clothes._

_Yet he fought relentlessly, like a man possessed. _

_But despite all his determination, the combined strength of his opponents proved too great._

**// In the end //**

"_Give up this useless fight and come back with us, Syaoran," the dark haired man said as he watched the boy duck under yet another clawed swipe aimed for his head. "He's your uncle. I'm sure he'll be able to look past your childish decision to run away and welcome you back."_

"_I have made up my mind," the teen replied, jumping to the guardrail, balancing over its edge in a crouched position, with his back towards them all. His group of assailants rushed towards him._

"_**Stop!"**__ he said firmly, halting them all in their steps._

"_I hope it's better for you this time around." He turned his head in her direction, smiling warmly at her._

"_N-no. Syaoran get down from there, please." She pleaded once more, fat tears welling up in her eyes._

_He wouldn't, would he?_

**// In the end //**

"_My freedom for yours…" she thought she heard him whisper._

_The boy looked away. _

"_Syao-"_

_He jumped._

"_Syaoran!"_

**// In the end //**

Sakura sat up in her bed. Despite it being the middle of winter, sweat covered her entire body. Her breaths were coming in short, shallow gasps and her face was wet from her tears.

She gulped in lungs full of air as her heartbeat slowed down and breath came more naturally.

What kind of nightmare had she had? She looked around her once, trying to figure out what it was that she had been dreaming about before she had woken up.

As she racked her brains for some sort of hint she came up with…

Nothing.

Strange. Normally she always remembered whatever she dreamed off.

Why was this time different?

Yawning widely, she realized that she had school tomorrow. And her new job at the café after that.

Meaning that she had better return to the land of slumber or else she ought to be ready for a whole day of sluggishness.

Sakura turned in her bed, shifting into a more comfortable position. A soft smile made its way to her face as she fell into a dreamless slumber. Her previous dream, already forgotten…

**// In the end //**

-0-

Clutching his bleeding side, the man stumbled into a dark alleyway. Distant sound of a pair of running footsteps could be heard. Taking in a deep breath, the man staggered deeper into the shadows and slid down the slimy wall.

The footsteps stopped right outside the narrow alley.

**// This is the story of my life  
These are the lies I have created //**

"We lost him?" a feminine voice asked.

"No, he must be masking his presence." Answered a male.

"Oh."

"But he won't be able to keep it up for long. Not with him injured like that. I highly doubt that he would even live to see tomorrow."

"_Fay, is Yuui with your aunt?" the man with shoulder length, raven hair asked urgently as the seven year old blond emerged from the small side door alone._

"_Yes, they want us to meet near your house." The child replied._

"_We shouldn't have split up…" he mumbled, noticing the young boy chew on his lip. Since when did Fay start doing that?_

"_Don't worry, they won't detect us." He assured him, taking his hand and quietly leading him down the grassy lawn towards a low hedge boundary wall._

_They had almost reached the other side of the street when the mansion behind them blew up in flames._

"_No!" cried the small child as his eyes widened in shock. He turned back, running towards the flaming building. "He's still in there!" he cried out when Ashura caught him by his arms._

"_He'll be fine. We have to leave, now." It killed him to see his God son like that, but Ashura knew what had to be done._

"_No we have to go back!" the blond cried, tears streaming down his face as the older man picked him off the ground and hurried in the direction of his car. The blond kept sturggling, kicking and screaming as he buckled the boy in his seat._

"_He's still there. We have to go back!" he kept crying as Ashura drove off._

"_Fay, I'm really sorry," Ashura finally spoke when the blond had exhausted himself to the limit. His body was now wracked with dry sobs, his voice hoarse with all the screaming. "Yuui was my Godson and I loved him just as much as I love you. But no one could survive that explosion." He decided it was kinder to let the boy know the truth sooner, then to give him false hopes only to break them down. "Not even Yuui." He blinked away the wetness in his eyes, staring intently at the dark road ahead of him._

"_I could have survived it." The blue-eyed seven year old mumbled incoherently as his head hit the window pane. He had passed out._

_A solitary tear slid down his pale cheek._

**// This is the story of my life  
These are the lies I have created  
I've created //**

"I am so sorry Fay. Yuui. I failed you both." He sighed softly, noticing it was getting harder to inhale. "I guess I'm not much of a Godfather for either of you, if I couldn't even protect you properly." The dumpster in front of him was swimming in and out of his focus.

"I think he's hiding in this alley," his female pursuer informed her partner.

"Ah, the famous Ashura Flourite," A truimphant mal voice spoke in the distance. "The strongest eluder. Look at you now. Not even able to hide yourself from a couple of attacker."

"I guess he's not as strong as he leads the world into believing." The woman laughed her voice somehow even more distant than the man.

"Pity," he felt someone lift his head, looking at him. All he saw however were a hazy pair of blue eyes. "He was actually kinda cute."

And then he knew no more.

**// This is the story of my life  
These are the lies I have created.... //**

_**A/N: Well there you have it. I hope it wasn't too confusing or boring. Even if it was, please head over to the review room and tell me what I did wrong. Help me improve you guys.**_

_**-Nims.**_

_**Tiny manju bun: (takes out a small walkie talkie set.) The humans are still, completely clueless. Phase one of the operation carried out smoothly. Now commence phase two of our operation.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hello everyone. Sorry for the really long wait and the comparatively short chapter. Like I have stated numerous times before, I was having a writer's block when it came to this fic, due to which I couldn't really write much down.**_

_**I'm still having that trouble but I had a short burst of inspiration that made me write this. It's not much but I still hope it's enjoyable.**_

_**Tell me what you think, k?**_

"Oye Flouite," Kurogane grunted as he hurried his pace to match the blond and his brunette friend's. "The witch wants to see you in her office after school."

"Sure thing Kurgz." the teen responded cheerfully.

"My name is Kurogane," the boy ground out. "Get it through that thick skull of yours or I might have to beat it into you."

"Oohh… Kurgie is trying to be scary." Fai laughed while Sakura looked somewhat scared seeing the expression on the Japanese teen's face.

"You! Why I oughta…" Kurogane trailed off, noticing how Sakura was trying to make herself seem invisible. "Something wrong?" he asked, remembering the rumors and gossip that went around the school about the girl.

"N-no." She answered meekly, lowering her head to avoid his gaze.

"Don't go out alone," Kurogane said gruffly as he stopped at his locker to gather his books. School wasn't going to let up for another hour or so but he was supposed to run a few errands for the school's principal so he had a permit to leave early. "Wait for Flourite or one of you other friends."

"Aww, how sweet. Kuro-tan cares." Fai teased paying no mind to the glower thrown his way. "Well, no need to worry your busy little head off, Kuro, yours truly will be walking her to the café and her home."

"Ku-ro-ga-ne. It's Kurogane." He growled.

"Hey Sakura, I think I made the big bad puppy get mad." He nudged the girl gently as the two of them continued walking. It took all of his self restraint to not hit the grinning blond idiot. Yuuko would definitely not appreciate it if he murdered one of her students.

That and the poor girl walking next to the stupid blond would probably be traumatized for life on seeing her only friend getting ripped from limb to limb.

So with an angry scowl set on his face, Kurogane watched them both walk around the corner. _She won't remember any of it._ His principal's words repeated themselves in his head.

So far, it was proving to be true. Although the girl still jumped at the smallest of noise and still tried to sink into the ground when near people, she was not scared more than usual. She did not have the fear of someone who had just been attacked by the corporation.

_The witch was right._ He thought, slamming the locker close as he began moving towards the exit.

-0-

_She doesn't remember_. Fai thought, feeling a twinge of sadness for Sakura, as two walked side by side into their last class for that day. He glanced at the quite girl walking beside him, she kept her head lowered to avoid looking at anyone but he could see a small smile on her lips as he babbled on nonsensically.

Xing passed the two right outside their classroom door but instead of entering it with them; she just turned away, walking down the long corridor. But just before she had turned away, she had looked at him with an expression that he couldn't quite place. He gave a small frown letting Sakura walk in before him as he looked back at Xing's retreating back.

"Fai?" Sakura's timid voice made him shrug off the weird feeling for then.

"Coming." He answered with a bright grin as he hurried after her. The students shuffled to get to their places, Sakura heading to the back off the class but Fai dropped his books at a desk placed somewhat in the middle of the class. "Let's sit here Sakura."

"U-um…" she hesitated but Fai gently took her books from her and set them besides his.

"I don't see anyone's name here." He laughed, speaking loud enough for the students currently glaring at him and Sakura to hear. Sensing the girl's discomfort at being the centre of more hatred, he added, "So relax."

"We s-should have just s-sat at the back." She murmured softly.

Before Fai could reply, however, Kyle stopped next to their table, a sneer on his lips as he looked down at the two.

"You're making a big mistake Flourite." He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. "I hope you are prepared to face the consequences of your choice. And you, Kinomoto. One would think you would have learnt your place by now."

"Trust me Kyle, I am more than prepared." The blond answered with a silly grin, spotting the teacher enter the class out of the corner of his eye. "And Sakura isn't the one who should learn her place. It's you."

"You're pushing you luck too far Flourite." Kyle growled, raising his hand to hit the blue-eyed teen but was interrupted by the teacher clearing her throat.

"Settle down everyone," the dark haired woman drawled in a bored voice as she held up one hand, showing everyone the manila folder that she had. "It's pop quiz time." She announced, waving the folder in the air. The students gave a collective groan as they put their textbooks and notes away.

"Better watch your back Flourite." Kyle whispered threateningly before moving away to take his seat.

The class rep moved up to the teacher's desk to get the papers while Fai looked over to see a visibly shaking Sakura, trying to sink in to her seat.

"You shouldn't let them push you around like that, you know." Fai told her quietly.

"…" Sakura just lowered her head some more.

"Don't worry about Kyle and the other idiots around here," Fai smiled kindly. "As long as you've got me around, you don't have to worry about _anything at all."_

Sakura looked up at him, her jade eyes wide in disbelief and surprise but Fai just gave her a cheeky grin, taking his quiz from the rep. Sakura took one too, skimming over it once before glancing at the blond by her side.

He was still grinning, his blue eyes shining with mischief as he picked up his pencil. "This is way too easy." He declared, happily jotting down the answer to the first question, acting completely oblivious to the looks some of his classmates were throwing his way.

But then their eyes fell on Sakura and the girl quickly looked back down, mentally calculating the first question before writing down the answer. _Don't worry about those idiots._ The voice of a kind-hearted amber-eyed boy echoed in her mind.

She glanced at Fai once again; a somewhat familiar but long forgotten sense of warmth and safety, envelop her. She returned her gaze to the quiz sheet, writing down the answer to the second question and moving on to the third.

The way Fai had said those words; she _knew_ she would be safe as long as he was around. This strange blond teen, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, had befriended her, ignoring all those warnings about the death and misfortune that her life signified and treated her like a normal person. Not some freaky death-girl.

For the second time in her life, ever since her brother had gone missing, Sakura found herself feeling safe.

-0-

Fai was the first person to complete the quiz, handing it over at the teacher's desk only ten minutes after it had been given to him.

"Are you sure you don't want to go over it again Mr. Flourite?" the teacher asked, accepting the paper with a raised brow.

"Yup. I'm quite sure I got all of them right." He answered cheerfully, walking back to his seat to wait for the rest of the class to be finished.

"Sakura, can you wait for me in the auditorium while I go see what Miss Yuuko wants?" He asked the auburn-haired girl after class as the two walked to their lockers to drop their books. "We can go to the café together."

"Alright." She nodded, looking at him with a smile.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, startling the brunette.

"What?" she asked glancing around her with wide frightened eyes.

"You just… you smiled!" he pointed a finger at her accusingly.

"What?" she repeated, fear replaced by incredulity.

"You should do it more often." Fai told her with his, by now, trademark goofy grin. "It suits you."

"T-thanks." She answered shyly, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.

"So you wait here, and I'll be back before you know it." Fai said as he opened the door for her before heading down the hallways towards the admin block.

"Good afternoon Miss Yuuko." He greeted the raven-haired woman as he entered the office, letting the door shut behind him, ignoring the curious stare Watanuki gave him as he passed the boy on his way in. "You wanted to see me?" he asked, settling himself in the comfortable chairs placed before her desk before even waiting for her to tell him to do so.

The woman seemed to be busy poring over some old looking file on her table, a pair of reading glasses perched on her nose. After another three four minutes of skimming over the pages, she looked up.

"Good afternoon Fai." She smiled at him with a knowing look in her eye as she set the folder aside.

-0-

Sakura hummed quietly to herself, thinking back on the changes her life had gone through since Fai had befriended her.

She was no longer beaten by Kyle and his gang, even though people still did not talk to her, she was receiving less hate-filled stares and glares. Well, less if you didn't consider most of the female population of the school that is. But it was still an improvement in her case.

She had also managed to get a new job. The boss did not hate her and her colleagues did not seem to mind that she was rumored to be the girl who brought misfortune everywhere she went. That and it paid quite well too.

Her life was beginning to look better. So much better.

-0-

"I see." Fai nodded, "Yes, uncle told me about you being a part of that organization."

"Then you already know why you are here?" Yuuko said with a smirk.

"It would be best if you enlightened me." Fai grinned back.

"Ashura put you in my care Fai." Yuuko told him with a sigh, all traces of humor gone from her face.

"If something were to happen to him." Fai corrected quickly.

"Yes." She nodded. "He informed me of your ability to keep yourself out of trouble."

"I bet he did." He acknowledged.

"But for some reason, you seem to be getting into certain situations when it comes to Miss Kinomoto."

"…"

"Fai? Is there any reason why you put yourself in harm's way to help that girl?" the wine-eyed principal questioned.

"I have my reasons." He answered after a while.

"You were not obligated to answer my questions," the woman leaned back in her chair, observing him closely over her reading glasses. "As vague as the answer may have been, you still did. Why?"

"There is a reason why the kids around here at school call you a witch, Ma'am." He gave her a goofy grin. "And even though I might act like an idiot, it in no way implies that I am one."

Yuuko smiled back at the blond, resting her elbows on the wooden surface of the table.

"I can see what Ashura meant when he informed me about you getting transferred here."

_**A/N: so there you have it. How was it? Good? Bad? Did it make you want to pick up your pitchforks and light up your torches to come after me since it was utterly boring and nothing really happened up there?**_

_**I'm really sorry guys but my muse died halfway through so…**_

_**Anyhow, the next chapter will probably show Fai and Sakura working at the Café, along with a scene where Fai tries to convince Sakura to participate in the school talent show after he hears her sing. But I need some ideas on how he should do the convincing. Suggestions anyone? **_

_**Oh and also, some ideas for the scene at the café where Sakura has Tomoyo, Kamui and Subaru for work buddies.**_

_**Any help would be appreciated and would make me churn up the next chapter much faster. You can give me your ides via reviews or PM. Either way works just fine for me.**_

_**Till next time. **_

_**Ciao!**_


	7. Chapter 7

His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallway as Fai made his way to the auditorium. The sound of someone playing a piano reached his ears as he neared his destination. His mind was a whirlpool of emotions. Flashes and images of the past were zipping before his eyes as he mindlessly walked on, voices of people he knew, snatches of conversations he held with them ringing in his ears but the sound of the piano cut through them all, reaching his eardrums but softly mixing in with everything else, becoming a part of auditory and sensory confusion taking place in his mind.

_**I miss you…**_ A soft, female voice sang, making the blond stop in his tracks as his eyes widened in surprise.

_**Miss you so bad…**_

"_No!" the image of a dark room flashed before his eyes._

"_I'll be fine."_

_**I don't forget you**_

_**Oh it's so sad…**_

"_But if you have it, they'll come after you too." Moonlight was pouring into the room from a small gap in the curtains._

"_No they won't. I have a plan. Just do it."_

_**I hope you can hear me**_

_**I remember it clearly.**_

"…"

"_Please…" a pair of pleading eyes was staring at him._

"_You promise you'll be okay?"_

"_I promise."_

_**The day you slipped away...**_

…

"_No! He's still in there!" the image of a burning house replaced the dark room._

"_He'll be fine. We have to leave now."_

"_No! We have to go back!"_

_**Was the day I found**_

_**It, won't be the same**_

"_Fay, I'm really sorry." Yuuko's wine colored eyes were filled with sorrow. "They found your uncle today, early in the morning."_

"_Is he okay?"_

_Yuuko looked away. _

"_Ashura was a good man."_

_**I didn't get around to kiss you**_

_**Goodbye on the hand**_

"_This is your cousin Freya." A girl with soft brown eyes and a shy smile peeked out from behind her father's legs._

_**I wish that I could see you again**_

_**I know that I can't**_

"_Mom…"_

"_Dad…"_

_**Ooooooooooooh**_

Sakura had her eyes closed as she let her fingers dance over the black and white keys, singing her heart out as for some reason scenes of things that she thought had never happened flashed before her eyes

_**I hope you can hear me**_

_**Cause I remember it clearly**_

_She was running, tripping over her tiny little feet as her heart thumped wildly against her chest. _

"_Keep running Sakura!" her brother's voice yelled behind her as the sound of something heavy smashing into flesh reached her ears. Frightened she whirled around, her eyes wide with fear but the blue-eyed boy with messy black hair was unharmed, except for a small cut on his cheek. "Sakura, run!" he yelled at her before turning his attention back at the people chasing after them. _

_**The day you slipped away...**_

"_I love you darling," she saw tear slide down her beautiful yet pale face. Her clothes were stained a deep shade of crimson, the same colored liquid flowing freely from a hole in her shoulder._

"_You're a very special girl, honey," she told her gently._

"_Mommy, I'm scared," she said in a quivering voice._

"_Don't be sweetie," her mother smiled at her in a kind and reassuring manner. "Everything will be alright." Then there was a blinding flash of light and after that, nothing at all._

_**Was the day I found**_

"_Sakura, I want you to close your eyes," the scene had morphed a little bit, she was now in a car with her father. But she could see the worry etched into his handsome yet somewhat prematurely aged features. "And put your head between your knees. Don't look up, no matter what."_

_She obeyed somewhat hesitantly. A couple of seconds later her whole world tumbled around, like she was in a barrel that was rolling out of control down a steep hill. Sounds of people screaming and shrieking and metal grinding against asphalt reached her but her own world was consumed by pain, before something warm and relaxing took it all away, leaving behind blissful ignorance._

_**It, won't be the same**_

"Sakura?" Fai's questioning voice made her snap back to reality, immediately pushing the images she had just witness to the farthest corners of her mind, making her forget all that she had seen. Quickly she moved her hands away from the piano.

"O-oh, um… hey Fai." She said in a meek manner.

"Wow, I never knew you could sing so well." he said, his blue eyes sparkling though Sakura could see some dark emotion lurking in the depths of his orbs but it was gone before she could even blink. "You should sign up for the school talent show."

"I-I'm not that good." She stuttered as she climbed to her feet, straightening her skirt as walked towards him.

"Are you kidding? That was amazing. You'd win for sure; you just gotta work a bit on your confidence, that's all."

"I-I don't think I-I can perform in front o-of a crowd."

"Like I said, self-confidence," the blond grinned, swinging an arm around her shoulders as he led her outside, not noticing the blush that crept up her cheeks at this action. "Tell you what?" he looked at her, a big smile plastered on his face, "We'll both enter together."

"W-what?" the girl squeaked.

"Why not?" He cocked his head to one side, looking at her curiously as he pushed the door that led outside the school building without moving his gaze.

"I-I don't have a-any songs." She admitted, hoping this would drive the idea out of her friend's mind.

"So?"

"We're not allowed t-to perform other artist's s-songs," she told him, "the songs h-have to be original."

"Alright then," he declared loudly, "We'll get you a song."

"Huh?" she exclaimed, a dumfounded expression on her face.

"So it's decided then," the blond proclaimed, not paying any attention to his flustered friend. "I'll write you a song and you'll sing it at the talent show and win."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something but the blond cut her off.

"No need to thank me Sakura, it will be my pleasure." He winked at her before leading her in the direction of the café, not letting her utter a single word the whole way by keeping up a much too excited chatter. Something was wrong with the picture.

It took her a moment to realize but as the jade-eyed girl observed the boy walking next to her as they walked, she noticed that even though he was grinning like there was no tomorrow, she could tell it was all just pretend. A mask, to keep her from seeing what was really going on in his mind. And while she may not have been able to tell just what exactly it was that he was thinking, she had had enough betrayals and fake friends in her life to know when people didn't want to be around her.

It took Fai couple of seconds to notice that Sakura was not next to him. Halting mid-step, he turned around only to see the girl staring intently at her feet a short distance away from him.

"What's wrong Sakura?" A small frown made its way on his features. Her fists were clenched at her sides and her expression hidden behind a curtain of auburn locks cascading down her face.

"I-I'm not an idiot you know." She spoke in a voice not much higher than a whisper and completely devoid of emotion.

"Huh?" the blond looked at her in confusion. That was completely random. He had just been telling her about the upcoming album from one of his favorite bands.

"You don't have to be my friend and be nice to me," she told him, not looking up, "if you don't want to. I was fine on my own before you came and I can keep on surviving on my own."

"What gave you the impression that I don't want to be your friend?"

"I've had to take care of myself outside the orphanage ever since my brother went missing." She raised her head to lock her sparkling green eyes with his; he could see the unshed tears cling to her lashes. "I'm not as dumb as everyone likes to think I am."

"What does that have to do with me being your friend?"

"Stop pretending to like me when you don't," she said, her voice even though her tiny frame shook. "It's pretty obvious that you don't want to be here." She had been hurt far too many times, yet she had opened up to him somewhat, for some reason she could not fathom. Maybe it had been his bright smile or cheerful attitude, but she knew he was hiding something from her. And having dealt with fake friends, thanks to the dares her schoolmates liked to give each other, she had learnt to read into people's expressions and their body language.

There was something off about the way he had been behaving with her ever since he had returned from the principal's office.

"I don't get it Sakura," the blond shook his head, "Why do you think that I don't like you?"

"People have done that before," she admitted, "they befriend me for a few days, pretending to like me before shouting in my face, of how it had all been just some dare their _real_ friends had given them. After that, they normally just dump me like a sack of rotten vegetables before going on their merry way."

"Sakura, I'm not pretending to like you because I really do and I _want_ to be your friend."

"Stop lying!" Sakura almost shrieked, "I can tell when someone doesn't want to be around me and it's quite clear you don't. Why don't you just get it over with, huh? Tell me about how great it was to fool me into thinking I was finally going to have a friend when a freak like me doesn't deserve one?" In her anger at being betrayed once again, she didn't even realize that she was no longer stuttering. "Tell me how much you enjoyed pulling the wool over my eyes. Just get it over with and let me go?"

"Sakura…" the blond trailed off. The waterworks finally started as the brunette turned on her heals, taking his silence as a confirmation of what she had just said. Without another word, she raced back in the direction of the orphanage. She had been such an idiot, trusting him like this. She should have learnt her lesson by now, then why? Why hadn't she?

Angrily wiping tears from her eyes she kept on running, not really seeing where she was going, letting her feet carry her since the direction to her only haven had been engrained into her body. She could find her way to that place, blindfolded. So when she finally looked up, she was surprised to find herself at the bridge in the central park instead of her initial destination. She stopped next to the rail, leaning over it to gaze unseeingly at the murky waters below as angry tears continued to fall.

She furiously rubbed at them, hoping that the action would stop fresh ones from coming but that was futile.

"Why did y-you guys… have t-to… g-go?" she sobbed, as the faces of the only people who had ever truly loved her swam in her vision. "I-I miss… you s-so badly…"

Nothing but silence answered her question.

"W-why did you… leave m-me beh-ind?"

A gentle yet cold breeze tickled the wet trails that the saltine water escaping from her eyes had traced on her cheeks. She shivered slightly, it was still winter and the weather is always colder near bodies of water. She was thankful for the thick mist that the river produced since it hid her from the world, making her feel somewhat safe from it. She flopped on the ground, slipping her legs beneath the guardrail, resting her arms on the lower rail as she poked her head between them, never once moving her gaze from the cold churning water.

She cried to her heart's content, not realizing when she drifted off to sleep. When she finally woke up, judging from the lack of lightness in the mist, she guessed the time was nearing sunset. She blinked in confusion a couple of times, wondering where she was and what she was doing there before she remembered the answers. Her cheeks felt a little itchy thanks to the dried tear stains on her face but she refrained from scratching them as she climbed to her feet. Her legs popped as she did but before she could stretch relax her body a bit more, the slight ruffling of clothes a little ways to her right caused her to stiffen.

"I'm sorry." A quite voice apologized. "But I didn't mean to hurt you."

Her heart fluttered beneath her ribcage on hearing his voice but she remained guarded. She was not about to make the mistake of trusting him again. Trusting anyone again for that matter.

"Please, leave me alone." She told him and was surprised to hear how heartbroken she sounded.

"Sakura, please, I wasn't lying to you about wanting to be your friend." Fai said as he took a step closer. "And I wasn't tricking you either. I swear."

"…"

"I suppose I owe you an explanation for my behavior earlier." He started, but paused as though trying to get his emotions in check. "The principal called me to her office to tell me that about my uncle… He… He died last night."

Silence followed this statement which was broken only by Fai's rushed explanation. "I'm sorry I hurt you. But I didn't want to burden you, when you finally seemed so happy for once. I had been planning to go down to the hospital after I had walked you to the café but you took off so suddenly, you didn't even give me a chance to explain. I looked everywhere for you. The orphanage, the school and almost every other place that I could think of. I was almost about to give up and go home when I remembered this bridge."

Sakura stood rooted to her spot as the blond teen apologized before rushing forward and catching her in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"F-Fai…" she breathed in his faint vanilla like scent as he made no motion of letting her go. Why would he think something might happen to her? She went around the place on her own before. Okay so might normally get beaten by bullies but that was not the point. It wasn't like he was there on some sort of mission to protect her or anything.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again, "I'm so sorry." He kept on saying that, making her think he wasn't even aware of her being there anymore.

"Fai…" she started to speak only to be cut off by a small squeak that escaped her lips when he moved his head to nuzzle her hair. He only tightened his embrace, his whole body shaking as she felt something warm and wet trail down her neck.

It took her a few moments to realize that these were tears!

Fai was crying!

"I'm so sorry…" he said once again as he pulled away from her. There was no smile on his pale face, his sapphire eyes were bloodshot and there were tears trailing down his cheeks similar to the way they had been with her. Her breath caught up in her throat as she gazed into his eyes, which were clearly reflecting their inner turmoil, letting her gaze into the very depths of his soul to see the pain that lurked there.

Her body went stiff when all of a sudden without any warning whatsoever Fai crashed his lips against hers.

She had been kissed by only one guy in her entire life before now. And that had been her boyfriend, Syaoran. He had always been gentle and calm yet passionate. But with Fai, it was different. His kiss was more desperate, more frenzied, almost as if he was scared of something. After a short while she felt her muscles relax.

Almost as if he had been jolted by thousands of volts of electricity he pulled away from her, hastily. Sakura opened her eyes with a confused frown. When had she closed them anyways? The look on Fai's face was one of horror as though he could not believe what he had just done. He took a step away from her.

"I-I… S-Sakura I…" he backed away from her, his tone apologetic and horrified. "I-I didn't…"

He stepped back, taking two for every single she took. He looked like a cornered animal, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing as nothing coherent came out of his lips. "I-I…"

She might have been confused but like she had said, she was not stupid. It took her a couple of seconds to comprehend but she suddenly understood what was going on.

-0-

Fai knew it was dangerous to get close to her, yet he couldn't bring himself to care when he found himself falling for the doe-eyed brunette. Her emerald eyes held such innocence and such purity that it was impossible not to.

He felt horrible, lying to her about why he had befriended her, but she couldn't know the truth. He had a promise to keep after all. Imagine his horror when he realized what he had just done.

He had kissed her!

He stepped away from her, his body going cold and clammy all over as his mind reeled.

He had just kissed her!

"I-I… S-Sakura I…" Damn it! Why couldn't he apologize to her? Tell her it was an accident. Tell her he didn't mean it. "I-I didn't…" Because he knew he didn't. He'd be lying to himself and to her, not that that was anything new, but he would be lying all the same if he denied what he felt for her. But this was neither the time nor the place for such things. And Sakura belonged to someone else.

So then why? Why had it felt so right when he had her in his arms? Why had it felt so damn perfect when he had his lips against hers? He could still taste her sweet cherry flavored lip balm, and that fact disgusted him more than anything.

He wasn't supposed to get involved with her so deeply. No, it wasn't supposed to be like that. But…

He shook his head, stepping away from her just as she moved towards him. "I-I…" he still couldn't get the words out of his mouth. What was wrong with him?!

The guardrail against his back put a stop to his retreat just as Sakura encircled her arms around his chest. His eyes grew wide as saucers as he felt her slightly smaller frame tighten its hold him as she moved her head to lock gazes with him.

"I'm sorry." She smiled at him weakly, "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." Her green eyes were sincere and earnest and Fai felt his resolve crumble.

"Sakura…"his breath ghosted her face as he captured her lips once again. This time however, he felt Sakura respond, her arms moving to his neck as they kissed. They broke apart after a while, staring at each other. Sakura's cheeks developed a red tint as she smiled at him sweetly.

He returned it before pulling her close to him once again, burying his face in her hair as he whispered. "Thank you." His heart clenched painfully and for some reason he found himself unable to hold back the salty water that escaped from his eyes.

Grimly, he realized that he was finally crying for his dead uncle who had given up so much to keep him safe. That man had done so much for him, giving up his very life just for him. Yuuko had enlightened him with the details after all. It had taken him quite some time to compose a mask to hide his inner turmoil from Sakura when he had gone to the auditorium to pick her up.

Every particle of his body had been screaming at him to go down to the hospital and see with his own eyes if what that wine-eyed woman had told him was true. But he had known that could not have left Sakura alone. Not when _they_ were out to get her. He had not wanted to tell her about his uncle either since that was his burden alone. The blood of that man was on his hands alone.

But after Sakura's outburst, he had to. Still he had apologized to her but after a while he was no longer sure of that. There were so many people he needed forgiveness from. He kept repeating the words like a mantra addressing no one and everyone at the same time. Perhaps it was Ashura who he was talking to, for making him lose his family in order to protect Fai. Or perhaps it was his twin, who was no longer there because of him. Or maybe it was that other boy, the one with expressive chocolate colored eyes, who had taken the blow meant for him. Or was it Sakura? The girl he was constantly lying to?

He couldn't tell. He had not expected her to kiss him back, or even hug him for that matter yet here she was, doing just that. Letting him shed his tears without uttering a single word as he clung desperately to her, afraid that his whole world was falling apart.

A small part of his mind was confused. Never before had cried so openly before anyone. Not even his cousin Freya or his uncle Ashura. In fact, he could not remember a time after his twin's death when he had actually shed any tears. Was this his grief finally catching up with him? He did not know. And neither did he care.

For now, all that mattered was the fact that even if for a little while, he just wanted to forget it all. Forget everything. Forget who he was or why he was there. Forget everything that had caused his life to turn out this way. He wanted to forget what he had become and forget what he was destined to become.

For a little while… he just wanted to forget…

-0-

_**A/N: Um, yeah, ain't got much to say right now except that I really hope you liked it. I'm really sorry for the long wait but hopefully this slightly longer chapter might be able to appease you.**_

_**I don't own the song and obviously I don't own the characters used up there. So glad that's out of the way cuz I am not gonna repeat myself. **_

_**Don't forget to review.**_

_**Just a little warning for you guys. The updates for this and several other of my fics will be irregular until I can figure out a way to glue my muse's butt to a seat to prevent it from going anywhere. I tried tying it down once, but stupid thing is like Houdini. I sure hope the super strong glue I got from Yuuko works.**_

_**Till next time, Ja.**_

_**-Nims.**_


	8. Chapter 8

"Fai?" Sakura asked quietly as they walked side by side. "A-are you planning on going to…"

"See my uncle?" he finished the sentence when she trailed off.

"Yeah." She nodded, with a hesitant glance in his direction.

"After I drop you off at home." He answered.

"W-Would you mind if I came with you?"

He looked at her in surprise before his lips upturned in a smile. "No, I wouldn't."

Silently, the two made their way to the city hospital, neither of them speaking but a small blush dusting both their cheeks as they walked side by side. Sakura stole a small glance in his direction, a small smile gracing her lips as she quickly looked away.

There was no denying what the girls at school talked about. Fai most definitely _was_ good looking. But did he really like her that way? It could have been just a… a… something else.

"Thank you for coming along, Sakura." Fai said softly as he looked at the double white doors that led to the cold room of the mortuary.

A woman in a pale blue gown approached them, "Mr. Fai Flourite?" she asked as she stopped near them.

"Yes," the blonde's voice quivered slightly.

"This way, please." She led him through the double doors.

"Sakura, will you wait here?" he asked quietly so that only she could hear. Then he too vanished behind the swinging doors. He was back some time later, his eyes bloodshot but dry.

"Let's go," he told her in a somewhat stuffy voice.

"I'm sorry, Fai," Sakura spoke softly, but the blue-eyed teen remained oddly quite.

"Thanks for going with me," he said once they had reached the orphanage.

"No problem," she returned his small smile.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," he waved at her before turning around and walking down the pavement till he was swallowed by the mist.

Sakura watched the spot where he had vanished, feeling a warmth blossom in her heart.

-0-

Fai staggered back to his apartment, a heaviness threatening to crush his heart as he dropped his bag on the floor next to the entrance, followed by his jacket.

He cast a careless glance in the direction of the clock on his bedside table.

_2:30 a.m._ it read.

He had been wandering aimlessly around the city for more than five hours, which was quite stupid of him given his recent encounter with _those_ guys and the warning he'd been given by his principal, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Slowly, with mechanical motions, he took off his shoes and slumped on his bed, not even bothering to change.

"_Fai, look at what dad got me." A twelve year old Freya skipped into his room, holding up a small, triangular object._

"_A guitar pick?" his brow rose._

"_Not just a pick, dummy," Freya giggled. "He also got me a guitar to go with it."_

"_That's great," he rolled his eyes, resuming his previous task. _

"_You don't sound excited at all." She pouted, snatching the comic book from him._

"_It's because I'm not," he answered simply, plucking the book out of her hands._

"_Why not?"_

"_Because you don't even know how to play."_

"_But you do." She grinned widely._

"_So?"_

"_So," she repeated the action of stealing his precious comic, "You're gonna teach me." and before he could protest, she was pulling him into the living room, Ashura laughing gently in the background._

With a frustrated groan, Fai turned on his side. Why couldn't he sleep?

Fai sat up in bed, his eyes flicking in the direction of the clock once more.

_3:45 a.m._

"_Fai, could you get the cake out of the oven?" Ashura was wearing a bright pink apron that demanded the world to 'kiss the cook'. His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and there were smudges of flour on his face. It was Freya's birthday and the two were busy preparing things for a surprise party._

He could hear the raindrops hitting his window, the wind howling as the branches of the tall tree in the yard scratched against the glass.

Fai pressed his eyes with the heels of his palms till bright stars appeared in his vision. He dropped his hands and blinked a couple of times, but the stars dotted his room for a little while longer. With a sigh, he rose from his bed and padded over to the place where his guitar rested against the wall.

"_Good," Ashura nodded in approval before punching a few codes into the small computer panel, "Now try blocking them instead of dodging them." As he spoke, the small metal barrels realigned, a soft metallic whirring filled the air as the mechanisms worked. "Freya," he turned to his daughter, "I want you to try and phase through Fai's barrier, okay?"_

_Both thirteen year olds nodded before doing what was asked. Fai swept his hands upwards and a thin sheet of ice rose before him, the small black balls being fired from the tubes colliding with the sheet and leaving splotches of bright colors. Paintballs, that was what Ashura always insisted they use to train. Never really gave a reason why, other than that it was fun. _

_Freya closed her eyes, a look of concentration on her pale face as her body became somewhat translucent. Grinning in satisfaction, she purposefully strode towards Fai who seemed to be having a hard time keeping his barrier intact. The balls of paint whizzed right through her, leaving splatters of paint on the wall behind her._

Finally, after staring at it for quite some time, he picked it up, sliding down to the floor. Closing his eyes, he let his fingers run along the cool metal strings.

"_You have inherited your mother's talent for music, Fai," Ashura was beaming, while Freya was clapping enthusiastically. _

"_Fai, that was so cool. Teach me how to play like that."_

"_Nope." He grinned in a teasing manner._

"_Daddy…" she whined childishly, "Tell Fai to teach me how to play."_

"_Maybe you should try asking nicely, Freya." Ashura chuckled fondly, watching the two children under his care as they started bantering._

"_Teach me! Teach me! Teach meeeee…." Freya was jumping up and down._

"_You forgot the magic words." Fai said in a sing-song voice._

"_Teach meeeeeee!" she shouted, jostling his arms with each leap she took._

His head hit the wall behind him with a dull _thunk_ as he mindlessly began playing a tune. Another memory attacked him as he strummed the wires.

"_Fai, you still need to work on your defense," Ashura instructed as he aimed a punch to his left side. "You leave your side completely open to attacks."_

_The fifteen year old blond brought his arm up, sloppily blocking his uncle from hitting him._

"_There, you're doing it again," he scolded lightly as his right arm made contact with the blue-eyed teen's torso._

"_I'm trying," Fai grunted as he jumped away from his guardian, "you're too fast."_

"_Well, then," his uncle laughed, jumping over the sweeping kick that Fai had hoped to trip him with. "I guess we have to make you get even faster."_

_**Yesterday I lost my closest friend**_

Fai sang softly, his mind making up the words as the music drowned the noise of the outside world.

_**Yesterday I wanted time to end  
I wonder if my heart will ever mend  
I just let you slip away**_

"_Are you sure you want to do this, Fai?" he could easily see the worry in those soft brown eyes that belonged to a person who had shown him nothing but kindness, despite all the sorrows he had caused._

"_I am," he had replied with an edge of irritation in his tone._

_**4 AM forever**_  
_"Fai…" Ashura had started, but Fai had cut him off._

"_Uncle, I'll be _fine_." He had turned away from him then not even bothering to listen to him properly._

"_Well… If you think that way," his uncle's quiet sigh had merely served to increase his annoyance._

_**Maybe I'll never see you smile again  
Maybe you thought that it was all pretend;**_

"_Yeah, I think it's better this way." He could feel his uncle's eyes on him, but with his back turned to the older man, it was easier to ignore the guilt. "Maybe she'll come back." And he had walked away. He had not even said goodbye._

_**All these words that I could never say  
I just let them slip away**_

_There was a nasty bruise on his forehead, his skin paler than the white sheet that draped over his body._

"_U-uncle?" His voice sounded hoarse to even his own ears. The woman that had brought him to this room quietly left. "I'm back." He expected those brown eyes open at the sound of his voice._

_**4 AM forever**_

"_Uncle, I'm here now." He repeated, his shaky hands reaching out for the motionless body on the marble top. However, he withdrew his hand not a second later with a yelp, as though he had been burnt by the touch._

_So cold._

_His uncle's skin felt so cold._

_**Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)**_

"_Wake up, uncle. I'm sorry." Why was his vision getting so blurry? And why could he feel tears trailing down his face? His uncle couldn't have left him like this._

_**Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)**_

"_I'm sorry I left." His legs gave out from under him as he sank to the floor, his eyes fixed on that pale unresponsive face._

_**Goodbye, goodbye  
Goodbye, you never know  
Hold a little tighter**_

Fai glanced back at the clock and a bitter laugh escaped his throat as he noticed the time. What a coincidence. It was exactly

_**4 AM forever**_

-0-

The thunder rumbled overhead as he took a path he had taken countless times before. What lay at the end was nothing special but it was still sacred for him. A small grove of cherry trees, raining soft pink petals as the wind blew. A few of drops of rain water stained his clothes as the fell from the heavens but he paid them no mind.

He stopped walking in front of a single black stone slab, staring at it with sleepless, yet bloodshot wine-colored eyes.

"_You really think I can do that too someday?" an eight year old boy watched in awe as a spiky haired, red-eyed man relaxed his stance and brushed the dust of his clothes. All around him, bits and pieces of a crumbled rock littered the ground._

"_Of course," the man laughed, the sound emitting from deep within his chest. The eight-year old's eyes shone with wonder and excitement. "Maybe you can teach me some moves when you get back."_

"_Only if you listen to your mother while I'm gone." The man ruffled the child's hair affectionately._

"_I promise." The boy nodded enthusiastically, "Maybe this time we can go to the beach too."_

"_Yeah," the man checked the time on his watch and sighed in disappointment. "Well, I have got to go now, Kurogane. I'll see you in a week, alright."_

"_Okay." The eight year old nodded once again, not knowing that that was a promise his father would not be able to keep._

"A week, right, Dad?" Kurogane gave a bitter chuckle as he read the date engraved on the stone slab. "One _fucking_ week, that's what you said."

"_No." he heard his mother gasp in disbelief. Curious, he walked out of the living room to see his mother at the door, talking to a stranger with soft brown eyes and long dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He had a kind face, but the expression on his face was one of profound sadness. _

"_I'm really sorry, Mrs. Suwa." He heard the man say._

"_No, you're… No. it's not true… it just can't be…"_

"_Mother, what's wrong?" Alarm and anger made him scowl at the man at the door. That man had said something to upset his mother._

"_You must be Kurogane," the man smiled at him gently but the eight-year old only deepened his scowl._

"_Mother?" he repeated, pointedly ignoring what the man had said as he moved closer to his mother._

"_Oh, Kurogane…" the woman sobbed as she draped her arms around his smaller frame and let the tears fall._

"You lied to everyone." Kurogane hissed at the silent grave, the garnet-colored eyes that he had inherited from his father completely dry. "To mother. To Souma. To me. You lied to everyone."

"_I'm sorry about your loss, Mrs. Suwa." The sun shone brightly in the sky with the birds chirping joyously, despite the fact that it was his father's funeral. Kurogane clenched his fists as his weeping mother accepted condolences from the people they knew and some people they didn't know, but were her father's associates. "I'm Yuuko Ichihara, your husband was an old friend of mine. He was a very good man."_

"_Thank you for coming," his mother nodded politely, dabbing her face once again with a tissue to dry her cheeks. "This is Kurogane." She introduced the child standing silently by her side._

"_Oh, yes," the woman smiled at him, "your husband talked about him a lot. He was very proud of you." This last bit, Yuuko said to the eight year old._

"_Thank you, Ma'am." He said a little stiffly._

"_Mrs. Suwa, may I borrow your son for a moment?" she looked at his mother politely, "your husband wanted me to tell him something."_

"_Please." His mother gave a single nod._

"You never really told us what you used to do," Kurogane closed his eyes and took in a deep, steadying breath. "Playing the hero for all of us freaks out there, huh? That was your job."

A sakura petal fluttered on the breeze and gently grazed his cheek before getting carried away on the wind.

"I remember wanting to be just like you," he spoke again after a while, "and guess what, Dad? I _am_ just like you."

"_I know this is not the time I should be telling this to you, Kurogane," Yuuko spoke softly, making the young boy slightly wary of what the woman might have to say. "But unfortunately, leaving you in the dark will do more harm than good."_

"I'm doing the _exact_ same thing you did." "

He gritted out, "I'm lying to Mom, just like you did. I'm risking my life for others, same as you. I've even got that damned organization out for my blood, just like you. I hope you're proud of me, Dad. I'm turning out to be _just like you._"


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I'm on cloud nine right now, so here's an update for you all. Enjoy!**_

The skies had opened up, and the rain was pouring down in torrents. Dressed in dark clothes, everyone attending Ashura Fluorite's funeral had an umbrella to shield themselves from the tears being shed from above. All save for a sixteen year old blond. Fai D. Fluorite refused to duck his head underneath the shelter of a black umbrella, letting the water trail freely down his cheeks. He refused to let the world see him cry, so he hid behind the wet mask that the showering heavens provided him with.

Wet hair plastered to his forehead, he watched with a clenched jaw as the dark coffin was lowered into the ground and covered with earth. People walked up to him to give their condolences, but he only half listened to what they had to say.

"I'm really sorry, Fai," the wine-eyed principal of his school walked up to him, dressed in a smart-looking black dress shirt and a skirt that reached her knees. The soles of her high heeled shoes sank into the wet ground, but she didn't seem to mind ruining her expensive shoes for her face held genuine sadness as she locked her gaze with the blue-eyed teen.

"Thank you for coming, Ms. Ichihara." He mumbled quietly, with a polite nod. For a couple of seconds, Yuuko just stood there, closely observing him. It seemed like she had something further to say, but after a moment's thought, she shook her head with a small, sad smile. "I'll give you a week's leave, Mr. Fluorite. But I expect to see you at school in my office at eight AM sharp, on Monday."

Fai's pale face betrayed his momentary shock but Yuuko's smile made him nod in acceptance.

"Thank you," was all he said as the woman elegantly turned on her heels and made her way towards the exit of the graveyard.

Long after everyone had left, a girl of around the same age as him approached him. She had pale, honey- gold skin, short but messy red-colored hair that stuck up wildly in all directions, and liquid-silver eyes which were currently bloodshot. The dried tear stains on her cheeks proved that she, too, had been close to the one now lying six feet under.

"He was like a father to me too." She said quietly, sharing her umbrella with Fai as she stood next to him, staring at the tombstone with a solemn face.

"I know… He took you in as his daughter after all…" Fai closed his eyes in response, a drop of water trailing down his wet cheek.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him…" she said softly, "or you."

"Me?" Fai gave a mirthless laugh. "I didn't do anything."

"Ashura always said that my powers were lying dormant in my body," she responded seriously, "and that the accident triggered them."

"…"

"But it was you," she continued when the blond remained silent.

"What are you talking about?"

"You gave me the ability to heal." She answered simply.

"That's something Yuui could have done." He answered, his tone and facial expression not betraying his emotions. "I can only manipulate ice and fire."

"You don't have to-" she started but was cut off by Fai.

"I'm not him…" he whispered harshly, "I'm not my brother…"

"I know," she replied, lowering her head to hide her face behind her messy bangs.

"After Freya went missing," he spoke after a while of them standing side by side in complete silence. "I left him… to prevent _this_ from happening." His fists clenched by his sides, dripping water droplets into the rippling pools of muddy liquid around his feet.

"Fai…"

"I found her a while back." The blond cut in, making the girl stiffen slightly next to him, but she did not move her gaze to look at him. "She's… different now."

"Different?" she repeated in shock, before blinking a couple of times to bring her emotions back under her control.

"They got to her too." He reopened his eyes, once again staring at the headstone.

"You're planning on getting back at them, aren't you?" she asked softly.

"…"

"I'm not going to stop you this time." She confessed, her voice still quiet but somehow conveying her feeling to Fai, making the teen tear his gaze away the gravestone to finally look at her.

"Can you find their hidey-hole, Eva?" he asked, his tone just as quiet as hers but there must have been something in the way he said it, for the girl redirected her line of sight to lock her silver-eyed gaze with his steely, blue-eyed one.

"Already have, Fai," was her answer.

-0-

It was nighttime and the rain had stopped, though the cloudy sky was still lit by occasional flashes of lightening and the ground occasionally resonated the rumbling thunder. Fai observed the wet stone building in the distance from behind the steering wheel of his stationary ride. His knuckles grew white as he tightened his grip, watching a laughing couple approach the front doors of the building. From their gait, he could tell that they had probably been drinking. His eyes narrowed in hatred as the woman laughed loudly at something the man had said. All of a sudden, one of his hands let go of the wheel, moving towards the gear shift as he floored the gas.

The smell of burnt rubber permeated the otherwise cool, slightly moist air as the tires screeched loudly for a couple of seconds before the car shot forwards. The pair looked up in alarm. Fai savored the way the woman's expression changed from one of amusement, to confusion, to shock. The man realized what was happening and decided to pull his girlfriend and himself out of harm's way, but their bodies were frozen in place as the car drew closer and closer.

Realizing that something was very wrong when he couldn't move from the spot, the man blinked and looked down, his expression turning to horror when he saw the ice encasing their feet. When Fai was only five feet away, time slowed down.

He looked up again to lock his gaze with Fai's as the woman closed her eyes in fear. The man's eyes glowed and the air before him flickered as time sped up again.

Fai felt the impact as his Audi slammed into the pair, his teeth rattling from the shock as the car came to an abrupt halt. It was only due to the seat belt he was wearing that he only had the breath knocked out of him.

"Hello." he grinned sadistically at the pair through his cracked windshield as the woman opened her eyes. _He's improved his gravity control since the last time we met._ He noted.

"So you're still alive, huh?" The man said in distaste as he glared at the teen. Neither of them seemed to be bothered in the least bit about getting hit by a speeding sports car since they were still standing on their feet.

"I don't get killed easily," Fai answered as the seat belt retracted and he rolled out of the car a split second before an invisible force scrunched it up into a small metal ball.

"We'll just have to see about that, won't we, brat?" the woman asked in a sickeningly sweet voice as she raised her hand and her nails elongated to sharp claws.

"Say hi to your pathetic uncle for me, boy." The man smirked as his eyes glowed once more and the air around Fai began to shimmer lightly.

"Rot in hell, you bastards!" the blue-eyed teen snarled in rage as razor-sharp shards of ice materialized in the air around him. They shot towards the pair, followed shortly after by blazing balls of fire.

He flipped out of the way just as the shimmering air around his body seemed to collapse in on itself while his opponents did the same to avoid his elemental attacks.

-0-

"Told you… I didn't… get killed that easy," Fai panted, feeling his blood run down the side of his face. His right eye was swollen so much that it was hard to see out of it, while his left arm hung uselessly by his side. There was a sharp ice-dagger in his other hand, buried halfway in the chest of the man. A little way away, a charred figure lay smoldering in the middle of a raging fire.

Sharp spikes of pain shot through his side every time he drew in a breath, but he was grinning despite the discomfort. With blood-matted hair plastered to his face and a little bit of the same crimson liquid running down the side of his mouth, the fire in the distance turned his blue-eyes an odd shade of gold as they reflected the light, making him look nothing less than a mythical demon.

"Go… to… hell…" the man hissed at him as he looked down at the sharp dagger protruding from the place where his heart should have been before looking up to meet the blonde's feral gaze. The older man's legs gave out underneath him and he collapsed on the bloody floor in an unmoving heap.

"I'm already there," With another mirthless grin, Fai snapped his fingers as he staggered away from his kill, the corpse setting ablaze in a brilliant fire. Fai's already hazy vision clouded some more as he tried staggering outside the now completely destroyed building, but now that the fight was over, his body was no longer pumping adrenaline into his blood. His energy began to falter, in turn making his steps waver as he approached the broken doors. In the distance he could make out a figure approaching him, but for some reason, he couldn't clearly see its face.

Blinking a couple of times, he shook his head to clear his vision, but all it did was make the world spin a little faster. Giving an annoyed grunt, he reached towards his side, his numbing fingers enclosing around the smooth metal splinters that were in fact the woman's poisonous nails. He tried pulling out the first one while simultaneously trying to move towards the familiar red-head that was running towards him, but sadly, the blond succeeded in neither.

"Fai, you idiot-" he heard Eva yell distantly as his vision tunneled before completely blacking out.

-0-

Sakura walked through the crowded hallways with her head bowed, trying to ignore the gossips that flew about the school about how her luck had caught up with a particular blonde that had been missing for a little over a week. The brunette suspected that he had gone off to attend his uncle's funeral, but no one knew about that so once again, Sakura was the object of hate-filled glares from the majority of the school and while verbal abuse continued like it had before Fai's arrival, no one dared to touch her.

But that was mostly because a certain red-eyed senior of the name Kurogane Suwa accompanied her to her classes every day during that week. And not only that, he even took it upon himself to accompany her to the Café where she worked.

It was on the third day of this new routine that Sakura finally worked up the courage to ask the Japanese teen as to why he was doing that. All she ever got out of him was '_You're a good kid, you don't deserve that sort of treatment.'_

Even though she knew there was more to it than just that, she was grateful for his company all the same. And it appeared that Tomoyo had taken quite a liking to him as well when he came around to the café to pick her up after work.

Fai returned the following Monday as the fog gave way to a slightly warmer weather. The frigid spell of winter was beginning to pass. Worry gripped Sakura's heart, however, when she noticed the nasty, almost-black-colored bruise decorating his right cheek and the bandages that covered the length of his left arm when he walked through the doors that day.

"Oh my gosh," she heard a couple of girls from her social studies class rush over to him, "What happened, Fai?"

"Are you okay?" one with wavy brown hair and charcoal colored eyes spoke in an extremely fake, girly voice. She was wearing a rather low cut shirt and short black colored skirt.

"Does it hurt?" a second gushed as she tried to get closer to him. She had black hair with purple and orange highlights.

"Kinomoto's curse caught up to you, right?" the first girl spoke sympathetically as she glared in Sakura's direction. "Why don't you ditch that loser, Fai?"

"Yeah," the second one nodded, "she's _obviously_ no good for you."

"I'm sorry," Fai answered in a nonchalant manner, "but you seem to be jumping to conclusions. I'm grateful that you are concerned for my safety, but Sakura is my friend and I think I can decide for myself what's good or bad for me." Then, without waiting for their response, he purposefully strode over to Sakura, cheerfully waving at her, though she noticed his slight limp.

"What happened?" she asked in a worried tone once he was close enough.

"I got into an accident right after the funeral," He replied with a casual shrug as Sakura swung her locker shut. "I was conked out for a couple of days and in the hospital so I couldn't contact you. But I managed to sneak out with a little help from a close friend of mine."

She saw Kurogane nod his head in greeting as they walked past him, but he didn't follow her like he usually would have.

"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered as she lowered her head, feeling the guilt overwhelm her.

"What for?"

"You got hurt because of me." she answered quietly.

"What gave you that idea?" he chuckled.

"Everyone does sooner or later." She confessed.

"Don't tell me you believed what those girls said." Fai gave her an incredulous laugh. "You do, don't you?" He grew serious when Sakura remained silent.

"Those things are called superstitions for a _reason_, Sakura." He took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. "It's because they're not real." He smiled before his eyes caught sight of something on the bulletin board in the corridor that they were walking through. "Looks like they put a new notice up." he pointed towards the small crowd of students that had gathered there.

"The talent show has been postponed till the end of summer." Sakura nodded, "it was put up yesterday, since something unexpected came up so the principle had to move the date. And there is a school camping trip coming up in a month's time."

"Camping trip?" Fai repeated with a childish delight in his eyes as a silly grin made an appearance on his face, "I love camping trips."

"So you'll go?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied brightly, "and so will you."

"I'd rather not." She answered uneasily, rubbing her shoulder as she avoided his gaze.

"Oh," he gave an exaggerated sigh, letting his shoulders droop as e lowered his head. "But then who am I going to have fun with?" he spoke in a somewhat childish voice.

This elicited a nervous giggle from Sakura as she dragged the toe of her shoe across the floor.

"Please, Sakura?" Fai persisted.

Sakura opened her mouth to refuse once more, but the dejected look on his face made her nod. Her heart fluttered with joy at the thought of somebody caring enough about her to be miserable if she didn't go.

"I will, and…" she said, hitching her bag higher on her shoulders as they moved towards class. "Thank you." She smiled at him gratefully before lowering her head and rushing over to her desk.

Fai stopped by the door, silently observing her as she set her bag down and extracted her books, a small smile making its way to his lips. _No Sakura,_ he thought, shaking his head before following his fellow classmates into the room and settling on the desk to her right, _Thank you._

-0-

_**A/N: Shattered Secrets will be updated shortly after this but please before you guys go off to read that, tell me what you think of this? Can you tell what is going on right now or should I shed more light on that in the next chapter?**_

_**I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have and suggestions and constructive criticism is always welcomed. Remember, I'll never know where I went wrong if you won't point it out. ;)**_

_**Ja!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: And here's the much awaited update.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

The room was dark, the only source of light the thin stream of sunlight filtering in through the drawn curtains. The sixteen-year-old blond observed her partner through narrowed eyes, a small frown marring her otherwise pretty features.

"I don't get it," She sighed, shaking her head at the brunette pacing in front of her. "Why did you stop me from reporting about him?"

"You can't report him." The agitated male answered.

"Why not?" the girl questioned. "He killed _two_ field agents last week."

"He won't come looking for anyone else."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He's not stupid," the brunette replied as he stopped in front of the window, his honey-gold flecked amber eyes observing the small particles of dust floating in the air as they were illuminated by the filtered light. "He killed those two for revenge, but he won't draw attention towards himself by killing anyone else."

"Why are you so insistent on leaving him?"

"No one can find out about him."

"Why? What do you think will happen when he catches wind of-" the girl started but was cut off by the other.

"What happens _if_ he catches wind of it," the brunette spoke in a quiet tone, "is something you shouldn't worry yourself with for now."

"What are you trying to do here?" the girl narrowed her eyes.

"_What the hell do you think you are doing?" _He heaved a sigh, the familiar words bringing back the memory of the day when things changed.

"I'm trying to save some lives." He echoed an answer he himself had received ages ago.

"_Saving another life."_

"You'd go against your own uncle?" the girl questioned, and he could have laughed at the irony of it all. _"You'd go against your own brother?" _He had once asked a similar question.

"_**You won't report him to anyone.**_" The boy spoke in a firm commanding tone, immediately silencing the girl not unlike the way he had been silenced by another.

"You…" the girl gaped at his back but the boy never turned around to meet her gaze. All he did was heave another sigh refusing to look at her as the voice of his brother rang through his ears.

"_I'm sorry bro, but… I don't have any other choice."_

"I'm sorry, Freya, but… I don't have any other choice." He knew the blond couldn't understand what was going through his mind, just like he had never been able to understand the reasons behind his brother's actions. _"I can understand about your girlfriend but _him_? What the heck does he have to do with all of this?"_

"I can understand about the girl but _him?_" Freya echoed his own questions from the past. "What does he have to do with all of this?"

"_Everything."_

"Everything."

"_Syaor-"_

"Syaor-"

The brunette snapped his eyes open, whirling around to lock his gaze with the startled blond, his hand gripping her shoulders as he repeated the subliminal command given to him by his twin.

"_**No one can know about Yuui Valeria."**_

-0-

Miles away in a well-lit office, a pair of wine-colored eyes opened, the owner's lips stretching into a small smile. Seconds later, the door to the office burst open and Kurogane Suwa stormed inside, closely followed by a rather disheveled Watanuki who was carrying the four year Sheska who was currently crying her heart out.

"You crazy old hag," the red-eyed teen snarled at the principal, "Why the hell did you have to dump that little brat on me? I don't go around carrying a board stating 'I babysit brats!'. Dump the kid on some other slave next time you witch! I quit!" and with that, he whirled on his feet and vanished through the door.

Shaking her head in amusement, Yuuko extended her hand for Watanuki to hand her the girl.

"There, there, now, Sheska," she cooed to the young girl, patting her gently on the head as she glanced at the clock and then back at the door.

"Three, two, one," Watanuki counted under his breath before the door was almost unhinged as it blew inwards with a surprising force.

"I want my sword back." Kurogane marched up to the older woman, ignoring the younger girl who whimpered in fear burying her head in the principal's shoulder.

"Hmm…" Yuuko grinned, cocking her head to one side as she gave him a sly look. "What sword?"

"The one you swindled out of me after getting me drunk as a freshman. It's a family heirloom!"

"Ah, that sword." She nodded, gently rocking Sheska as she spoke. "I'm afraid I can't return it to you."

"And why the fu-" at the glare he received from Watanuki as he pointed towards the four year old currently in their company, Kurogane rephrased his earlier sentence. "And why the hell not?"

"You'll scare dear Sheska, when you babysit her next time," was the excuse he received.

"Scare Sheska when I… I just told you I quit, didn't I?" he roared.

"And I refuse to accept it." Yuuko answered simply. "And there is nothing you can do about it since you want your family heirloom back. Repay your debt to me and I will return it." She grinned widely, inwardly laughing her head off at the priceless expression on Kurogane's face.

"You… I… Why you…" Kurogane spluttered, his face turning red from anger while Yuuko kept on smiling.

"So glad we could settle this," she said cheerfully, turning her attention back to Sheska, "Don't worry about him, Sheska, Kurogane is always like that. An angry puppy, but he doesn't bite." This elicited a giggle from the young redhead as she peeked over her shoulder in the Japanese teen's direction.

"Angry Puppy?" he exploded but luckily Watanuki stepped in just in time.

"Kurogane, weren't you supposed to pick up that cake for Souma from Cat's Eye Café?"

"Cake?" he repeated, his eyes widening in realization. "Oh, shit! I can't believe the witch almost made me forget." Without another word, the teen took his leave.

"Could you take her out to get some sweets?" Yuuko smiled sweetly to Watanuki as she gave Sheska back to him.

"Of course," the blue-eyed teen sighed resignedly as he too followed the path taken by his rather hotheaded friend.

The wine-eyed principal watched him until his back disappeared around the corner. "Hmm…" she murmured once she was completely alone, "I never asked them what it was all about." She chuckled softly, opening the lowest drawer in her desk, extracting a brown leather-bound diary.

Her thoughts drifted back to what she had seen moments before Kurogane had stormed into her office, and a small, tired smile made an appearance on her features as she opened the small journal and skimmed through the pages inside. She stopped at a page with had an old photograph secured neatly to it with the help of a paper clip.

It showed a group of thirteen people, five women and eight men. Her eyes took in each and every individual as she absentmindedly closed the diary and placed it back on the tabletop. The picture was taken the after she was done with college and her group had made a fantastic breakthrough in their research work.

"It all started with the thirteen of us…" she murmured, her fingers tracing the outline of the face of a man who stood in the middle of the group, the oldest one amongst them, with slightly graying hair tied in a low ponytail and a pair intelligent blue eyes staring out at her through a pair of thin framed spectacles.

"We were going to change the world…" she mumbled, her eyes followed the path of her fingers as they roamed over the faces to that man's right. A grinning man with messy, chocolate-brown hair had his arm slung around the shoulders of a slightly flustered, amber-eyed brunette. His other arm was draped around the shoulders of a heavyset man with a cleft chin and sideburns. These two were brothers, but not many could tell at the first glance since they looked nothing alike.

Next to those three was another couple, this one consisting of a kind-looking brown haired man and his emerald-eyed, fair-skinned girlfriend. They were the shy or quite ones of the group. Or rather the guy was the quite one; the girl had been the most cheerful person she had ever known. Behind the pair stood her recently-deceased friend, Ashura Fluorite.

Heaving a sigh, Yuuko looked at the other half of the picture, this side also depicting two couples.

The first one was a pair of redheads, the guy winking at the cameraman, his right hand raised in a victory sign while his left one encircled the waist of his girlfriend, Sheska's mother. Separating this couple from the next was a Japanese man with tanned skin and a playful smirk, his eyes the color of blood just like Yuuko's. He had his arms crossed and seemed to be observing the clearly flustered pair to his left, consisting of a petite, brown-eyed blond with a gentle angelic face and her goofy, yet equally loving blue-eyed boyfriend, both trying to refuse the bottles of beer being offered to them by a fair skinned raven-haired woman, Yuuko.

The principal grinned at the memory of how she had managed to get the pair so drunk, they had turned up married the next morning. They had soon been followed by the redheaded couple, the boy and girl completely in love. Almost a year later, the other couples had had a double wedding. Ashura Flourite had tied the knot soon after, but his wife passed away in childbirth.

The rest of them had remained unmarried, except for a certain red-eyed Suwa, but then again, he had been married before he had even joined their research group.

"Only two of us left now…" she placed the photograph on top of the closed book.

"What started out as a beautiful dream," shaking her head, she looked out her window at the setting sun. School had let out four hours ago and she was the only one here now that Kurogane, Watanuki and Sheska had all left, "is turning into a nightmare. Did you ever think anticipate this turn of events… Clow?"

_**A/N: So, no Fai or Sakura this time but I hope you guys are starting to get the picture. So, how many people from the photograph could you recognize? Review and let me know.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: So I'm back with another chapter. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

Muttering under his breath, Kurogane parked his car outside the café name _Cat's Eye._ This was the place Souma, his cousin, was so fond of and had wanted him to pick up some confectionaries for her from. Cursing his principal to the deepest pits of hell, he rushed inside barreling into a pretty, lavender-eyed waitress in his haste. Acting out of pure reflexes, he caught the tray in his hand before it crashed to the floor.

"Sorry, I wasn't seeing where I was going," he apologized hastily, climbing back to his feet and offering her his hand.

"Oh no," the waitress shook her head as she took the proffered hand and stood up. "It's partly my fault as well. I was kinda in a hurry," she gave him a sheepish smile before looking at the tray in his other hand.

"Oh, right. Sorry." he grinned, returning it to her. This waitress was one of Kinomoto's friends. He had seen the two together during the week he had been dropping her off at the orphanage after work. Even though he had never interacted with her face to face, he had caught himself thinking about her once or twice. "I'm Kurogane."

"Tomoyo," the waitress replied, placing the order on the table to their right. Once she had dealt with the customers, she turned her attention back to him with a smile. "You're Sakura's friend, right?"

"We go to the same school," he nodded, walking alongside her towards the counter.

"I see. So?" She said, gesturing to one of the chairs that lined the outside of the counter as she stepped around to the inside. "What would you like?"

"Um... actually I came here to pick up an order my cousin placed under the name of Souma Ryoujin." He answered uneasily. He wouldn't mind spending some time here. If only he didn't have to pick up those stupid pastries for Souma, he might even have been able to stay for a while.

"Souma Ryoujin?" She looked at him in confusion before checking something on a register placed a little ways away on the shelf. She scanned the open page before looking back at him. A blink later her gaze was back on the open book. Then, all of a sudden, without any warning, she burst out laughing. "So you're the one she mentioned! Didn't she tell you she already took care of it?"

"Huh?" he responded intelligently, wondering if he had heard her correctly. Souma picked up the stuff herself? Then why the hell didn't she call and tell him that?

"Yeah," She grabbed a mug, and turned to the other wall, grabbing the coffee-filled pot and filling the mug with it. As she did so, she called over her shoulder, "she mentioned something about her cousin coming to pick it up later, but that knowing him, something would make him late, so it'd be better if she did it herself. Didn't she call to let you know?"

"No." He replied curtly as she turned around and started making her way towards him. Maybe she didn't call him on purpose? As revenge for making her pick it up herself.

"Hey," Tomoyo's voice stopped him from further contemplation, "if you go to the same school as Sakura, you know that guy Fai, right?"

"Fluorite?" he cocked a brow, "Does that idiot work here too?" he asked casually, knowing full well that said idiot did indeed work here but Tomoyo didn't need to know that, right? He was just making small talk so no harm in asking something he already knew. He just hoped the idiot wouldn't come prancing in while he was talking to her though. Heaven knows what a pain in the ass he could be, what with that stupid nickname of his.

"Mm-hm." She said slowly, as if deep in thought as she set the mug down.

Kurogane picked it up, bringing it to his lips to take a sip. It tasted quite strong, not too sweet and slightly bitter, just the way he liked it.

"Hey," all of a sudden she appeared right in front of his face, lavender eyes shining brightly, "don't you think he and Sakura look cute together?"

"W-What?" he spluttered, coughing slightly as he choked on his coffee. Obviously, he had not expected such a question.

"Well, you know, Chunyan was telling me a week back about how Sakura's boyfriend, Syaoran had died last year. I think this is the first time since then that Sakura's let herself really get close to a guy…" She trailed off, a sorrowful look on her face. Then, she brightened. "So, this is good because it means that Sakura is finally ready to let a man back in her life. Now, if they would only admit that they like each other..." She walked over to the fridge, and pulled out a rather impressive-looking slice of pie. "Here you go!"

"Uh... thanks?" he said uncertainly, not sure where the girl was heading with this conversation. If the Kinomoto girl was ready to let a man back in her life, good for her, but why the hell was Tomoyo telling this to him? Shouldn't she be discussing this with that blond idiot?

"Probably," she answered him and Kurogane realized he had said that out loud, "but I get the feeling that he's just going to be just as stubborn as Sakura about this."

"So?" he asked, taking a bite out of the slice of pie, which tasted just as good as it looked.

"So we're just going to have to get them in a situation where they have to admit it!"

"We?" his brow rose in surprise and wariness as he chewed on the piece and swallowed it.

"Yeah!" she nodded enthusiastically, "I mean, aren't they your friends, too?"

"I wouldn't call that dumbass a friend." He took another bite, chewing and swallowing it before continuing, "We've never even talked properly before." He took another sip of his coffee.

"I see." The sly gleam in her eye reminded him frighteningly of Yuuko, when his principal was thinking up ways to make his life miserable, "Well, then," she smiled brightly, clapping her hands together once, "you can consider our date to be repayment for the piece of pie you just ate. Or," she added excitedly, "if you like, for the cake and pastries your cousin came by and picked up earlier."

"Date?" he spat the coffee he had just taken a sip of, staring at the girl in wide-eyed disbelief. "Did Souma, try to set me up again?" he growled, his earlier thoughts about the girl being cute flying out the window as soon as he realized what she had just tricked him into.

True, he had been planning to ask her out but not like this! Or rather, he had not planned on getting asked out by her before he even got a chance to make a move. "I have enough money to pay for that pie. And I'm pretty sure Souma paid for the cake when she left... didn't she?" he asked somewhat uncertainly, hoping that she had indeed paid for it. His cousin had a habit of leaving the bills for to take care off if he ever forgot to do something she had asked of him or rather if he ever got held up by his secret part-time job and she had to it herself.

"Nope!" Tomoyo smiled brightly. "She said if you did come by late, then it served you right, being late for something as important as important as this."

"It's not my fault I got held up by that damned witch." he grumbled irritably, glaring at a grinning Fai who had just waltzed past him to attend to some customers at a table near the back of the café, but not before he had greeted 'Kurgy' with a cheerful wave.

Great. Just what he had needed.

He wondered if the plastic fork in his hand would serve as a good weapon to murder that idiot with, when combined with Kurogane's insane strength.

"Now don't do that." His murderous thoughts must have shown up on his face because Tomoyo frowned. "If you kill him, then neither Sakura nor I will have a date on this Thursday."

"Thursday?" he repeated feeling like a broken tape-recorder set on loop, or like a smelly, deranged pirate's talking parrot. He mentally shook his head. Smelly deranged pirate's talking parrot? Where the heck had that though come from? He shouldn't have let Kimihiro put on Spongebob for the witch's goddaughter.

Fortunately for him, Kurogane was able to pull his attention back to the girl just in time to hear her answer his question.

"The day which happens to be two days from today!" She grinned, nodding her head. "That Thursday."

"What about it?" he tried to keep the alarm out of his voice.

"Well, that's Sakura's birthday," she informed him, "so I thought it'd be nice for her to go out then. Plus I worked hard to get the manager to let all three of us have that night off, so that way we can go together. And before you ask why I'm not just having the two of them go off together," She said, holding up a hand to stop him, "It's because I know Sakura isn't quite ready for that yet. If we go like this, she won't feel as awkward about it."

"But why drag me along?" he narrowed his eyes, watching as a certain blond moved towards the counter and then into a smaller back room which had an 'Employees only' sign on it

"Because I feel you're a trustworthy person," she answered simply, "and my newest best friend's happiness is at stake. Besides," her tone turned teasing, "if I'm going to ask a guy on a date, it might as well be somebody I actually like."

"..." Kurogane felt the heat creep song his cheeks but he quickly looked away, hoping she didn't notice his blush. "I have no idea where to go."

"That's okay," Her cheerful response, unfortunately, told him she did. Kurogane, having gotten his blush back under control, looked back to find Tomoyo peering at the clock mounted on the wall. "You can figure that out with Fai." She completely ignored his dumbfounded expression, continuing happily, "You're in luck today, because his break starts in five minutes!"

"Keep in mind," all traces of cheerfulness vanished from her face as her expression suddenly grew serious, "if you don't help him come up with something completely fabulous, I will make sure you have things far worse than an unpaid cake to worry about."

Kurogane paled, getting the feeling he had just earned himself another tormentor. Why, oh why, did the good looking ones always have to be so sadistic in nature?

"He likes to spend his break time in the Escalus Park a block away from here with Sakura." She informed him, "I'll keep her behind today so you can go and discuss your plans for Sakura's birthday with him." She turned around and grabbed a spare pad and a pen, quickly scribbling something down on it before tearing a piece of paper from it. "Here," she handed it to him. "This is my number so you can call and let me know how it went, okay?" she gave him a playful wink before moving around the counter and walking away to attend to some new customers.

Kurogane could only stare at her back wondering what the hell he had managed to get himself into this time.

_**A/N: So no Sakura or Fai in this one but did you like the interaction between Kuro and Moyo? Tell me what you think, k?**_


	12. Chapter 12

"Kurogane! I didn't expect you to call me so soon," Tomoyo exclaimed when she heard him greet her in a gruff voice over the phone.

He felt like grumbling something along the lines of her leaving him no choice, but wisely kept that answer to himself.

"What time should I pick you up on Thursday?"

"You mean you already worked out the place for our date?" she spoke, sounding impressed.

It took all his willpower not to huff out an indignant 'of course' but she beat him to it.

"Not that I had doubted you for even a second."

"So, what did Fai say?"

Kurogane's mind drifted back to the conversation he had had with said idiot earlier that afternoon.

_Grumbling under his breath, Kurogane made his way out of the cafe, once he got the signal from Tomoyo who had gotten a dark haired girl to help her keep Sakura behind. A girl named Chunhyan, or something. He'd seen her around his school. She was a good kid, slightly hyperactive, like that blond idiot but she had a good heart. She was one of those people who he had never seen shun Sakura._

_True, she had never gone to seek out the jade-eyed girl's company either, but he knew that she meant no harm._

_He vaguely wondered why he was doing this again, as he walked down the street and turned round a corner to head towards the park Tomoyo had told him about, spotting the blond idiot sitting underneath a tree, a pad and pen in hand, though he was leaning against the trunk and had his eyes closed, a peaceful expression on his face._

_He stopped near the entrance to the park, wondering if it would be wise to approach the normally hyperactive idiot. He had half a mind to turn around and just leave but remembered Tomoyo's warning. For some reason, he had little doubt of the fact that the lavender-eyed girl would make good on her threat if he did not do what she had asked. Once again, he was reminded of his principal and shuddered at the thought. No, his date for Thursday was not an alcoholic witch, even if her personality matched the aforementioned woman._

_Taking a deep breath to strengthen his resolve, Kurogane walked the plank and approached the annoying junior._

"_Hey Kurgz," the blond greeted him with that stupid grin plastered on his face, though his eyes were still closed. Kurogane blinked a couple of times, shocked that the other teen had been able to tell he was approaching despite the fact that he had been completely silent._

_Instead of giving a proper greeting back, however, Kurogane let out a quiet grunt. Briefly wondering how he was going to go about it, he decided with the direct and blunt approach. "It's Kinomoto's birthday in two days." He stated, feeling rather awkward. Flourite was her friend, of course he would know that. _

"_Oh?" the surprised expression on the blonde's face told him otherwise. Did he seriously not know?_

"_Yeah," he nodded, "Tomoyo wants us to arrange something special for her birthday, and she's gotten your manager to give the three of you a day off."_

"_I didn't know you had a soft spot for Sakura, Kurgy." Fai teased, as he opened his eyes to grin up at him._

_Kurogane sighed, shaking his head as he mentally repeated Tomoyo's warning over and over again. _Must resist urge to kill.

"_Soo?" Fai pressed on, not noticing the battle Kurogane's two sides were currently waging inside him. The dark side was urging him to '_just get rid of him'_ while his lighter side coaxed him to '_kill the idiot already'_. In the end, it was the appearance of a phantom Tomoyo wagging her finger in front of his nose that made him squash both sides and turn his attention back to the blond idiot who was looking up at him expectantly._

"_I got dragged into this." He tried not to sound irritated, but seeing those sapphire eyes laughing at him, Kurogane found it to be a very difficult feat._

_"I see." Fai nodded, for once looking somewhat serious as he set aside his pen and paper before looking back at Kurogane. "Why don't you sit down?"_

_When Kurogane looked reluctant to oblige, Fai's grin returned. "I won't bite, Kuro-pup."_

"_Tch. Shut it with the nicknames, Flourite." He growled, settling down against the tree trunk, "unless you want Kinomoto to go alone on her birthday."_

"_Alright. Alright. No need to get mad," Fai held up his hands in mock surrender as he laughed lightly. "So, anyhow, since you've been here for a long time, do you know of any good places? Some amusement parks perhaps? A good restaurant? Where can we take them?"_

"_Never cared for places like that." He glanced away from Fai, before giving a slight shake of his head. "I don't have a clue."_

"_Ah..." The blond nodded, a contemplative look taking over his features. "That could be a little problematic unless..." he glanced sideways at the Japanese teen, a sly smile appearing on his lips, "Hey, you have a jeep, right, Kurgz?"_

"_Yes..." Kurogane clenched his fist and tried to ignore the mutilation of his name._

"_Great!" Fai jumped to his feet as he picked up his notepad and pen, "Then you will have no problem driving me to the garage tomorrow!"_

"_Wha- Why would you want me to drive you there?" the red-eyed teen spluttered as he looked at the blond as though he had grown a second head. What did deciding where to take the girls have to do with going to a garage?_

"_Well, if we are supposed to go to the next town on Thursday," Fai said slowly as though speaking to a little kid, "we're going to need cars, right?" At the same time, he managed to make his tone sound like this was the most obvious thing in the world._

_Kurogane opened his mouth to let out an angry retort, but found he couldn't think of one, so he just growled._

"_Not that I'm saying that the pickup truck you almost flattened me with isn't great or anything," he added cheekily, turning on his heel as he moved towards the exit of the park. "But Sakura might like it if we went there in a car." He added, looking over his shoulder before he disappeared from his sight._

"Said something about going to a garage to get his car from there tomorrow." He grumbled, pulling the cell away from his ear as he heard Tomoyo let out a delighted squeal on the other end.

"Fai's getting a car?" she gushed, "That makes things so much easier for us."

Kurogane did not even bother to question what the lavender-eyed girl might be on about. If she said things were going to get easier, well good for them. At least he wouldn't be forced to spend a lot of time in a certain idiot's company for longer than was necessary. If only he had known how wrong he was.

"And don't worry about picking me up." She told him. "I'll be coming to your school on Thursday."

"Why?"

"Well," she answered slyly, "I had the idea for this really cute dress for Sakura which I'm sure would look simply amazing on her. I had just finished drawing its sketches when you called."

"Oh."

"So, I guess you won't be coming to the café tomorrow." Did she sound sad at the prospect of him not being there? Nah. That was probably just his wishful thinking.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to take the idiot to get his car tomorrow." He answered, irritably wondering if he had been out of his mind to agree to that. Why couldn't Flourite have just taken a bus or something?

"I see," was that a sigh he heard? "In that case," her tone brightened immediately, "I'll see you after your classes then?"

-0-

Wednesday passed by way too quickly for Kurogane's liking, and before he knew it, he was heading towards the parking lot with a very confused Kinomoto and an overly cheerful idiot- the latter being nothing out of the ordinary.

"I have some business to attend to with Flourite," he explained to Sakura as they stopped next to his pickup truck while he unlocked the doors. "Since the two of you normally head to work together, I thought I should drop you there."

"Are you sure that's the only reason, Kurgy?" Fai said slyly, his sky-blue eyes dancing in mirth.

"Can it," he growled dangerously, hoping and praying to the gods above that his flaming ears were not beginning to resemble a fire hydrant.

"Thank you," Sakura said softly as she climbed into the backseat of his truck while Fai moved towards the passenger side upfront. Who told that idiot to go sit in the front?

"What for?" he found himself asking before he could stop himself.

"For looking out for me that week." She spoke in that quiet tone of hers but Kurogane could hear her genuine gratefulness.

"No problem, kid," Without even knowing, he was ruffling the top of her head in an affectionate manner before he caught himself. Turning around, he quickly opened the door and slid behind the wheel. Because his back was turned towards the girl, he never saw the strangely nostalgic, yet blank look in her eyes as she sat there.

Before long, he was stopping outside the café he had visited only the day before.

"Thank you for the ride, Kurogane," Sakura smiled brightly at him, which was a rare sight. He had never seen that girl smile, but he felt himself thinking that she ought to do it more often. Her smile had a sort of brightening effect on everything else around her.

Through the glass window, he saw Tomoyo attending to some customers. As though feeling his gaze on her, her lavender eyes looked up, meeting his for a brief moment as she beamed at him, her gaze travelling towards Sakura who was moving towards the side of the café that led towards the entrance for employees.

Bracing himself for what was surely to come in the following hours, Kurogane drove the blond to the garage which happened to be two towns over. He now understood why the blue-eyed teen hadn't wanted to take a bus, but why couldn't that fool have just picked up some car shop in Sahil?

"So…" Fai drawled as they drove out of the city, "you and Tomoyo, huh?"

At the tone of his voice, Kurogane felt his heart sink. Why, oh why, had he agreed to this?

_**A/N: And yes, some light Kuro-torture at the hands of our favorite blue-eyed idiot… Umm I meant magician.**_

_**So anyhow, what do you think? Was it good? Bad? **_

_**Next up is the date! *grins* So far it's all sunshine and rainbows… err… sort of. ^_^;**_

_**But do you think that can last through the date? Knowing me, you never know, I might just surprise you all but what do you think? Will I let them have a pleasant time or will I ruin it for them? ;) ;)**_

_**You know what to do to let me know.**_

_**Till next time.**_

_**-Nims**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: I have read this over myself and corrected any errors that I could spot but since I am too impatient and currently in a somewhat bad mood I figured I might as well put this up before I forget about this chapter due to my exams next week. Don't worry, I will take this down and put up the beta'd version once I get the chapter back. But for now, I'll let you guys go ahead and enjoy!**_

Holding her head high, she marched down the dimly lit corridors, ignoring the guards stationed outside several doors. As she moved, fluorescent lights flickered to life on the ceiling, turning off a few seconds later as she moved further and further ahead. Coming to a halt outside a nondescript metal door, she turned her emotionless gaze towards the man stationed outside.

"What's the progress with this one?" she asked authoritatively, despite the fact that the brown-eyed blond was half the man's age and size.

"Still resisting as hard as ever." He replied.

"I see." She frowned, turning her gaze towards the door. "Open it."

"Um…" the guard seemed to hesitate, but sprang into action the moment her narrow-eyed gaze flickered in his direction. "Of course."

Slashing a card through the lock installed behind him, he stepped aside as the door issued a soft hiss and slid open.

"Seal it behind me." she ordered, stepping over the threshold, "I can show myself out."

Knowing better than to tell her otherwise, the man did as he was told. After all, the girl was quite a ways higher than him in the pyramid of power, seeing as he was nothing but a lowly sentry, and she, the partner of Boss's right hand man.

"Why do you resist?" she spoke softly, observing the limp form suspended from the far wall, metal retainers holding the prisoner's limbs in place. "Do you wish to die?"

"I have no such wish," the prisoner spat as he raised his head and looked at her through narrowed black eyes, "but I have no desire to work for you bastards."

"You mean you'd rather die than let _him_ use your abilities?" she asked, unphased by the hatred directed at her. "What of your sister?"

"Leave her the hell alone!" he snarled, angrily struggling against his restraints, uncaring of the way they chaffed the skin of his wrists and ankles. "I'll kill you if you touch her! I'll kill you!"

"Your mother passed away," she continued in an unaffected manner, "but I believe your sister was picked up by a friend of hers."

The prisoner froze, eyes widening in shock as he gaped at her.

"But I suppose it shouldn't come as that much of a surprise to you," she walked closer, brown eyes boring into black ones. "She was nearing the end of her time, after all."

"Y-you…"

"Hold out long enough and you might just get to meet the one who took her in," she whispered so softly that even he had difficulty catching the words. "She's safe for now." Turning around, she spoke in a louder voice, "My name is Freya, by the way." Looking over her shoulder, she shot him a sly smirk, "Choose your side wisely, Caleb." Without waiting for his response, she walked over to the metal door and phased through it as though it were nothing but air.

-0-

"_Sakura! Wait up."The auburn haired girl heard her boyfriend of almost half a year call out for her just as she exited the school building._

"_Oh, hey, Syaoran," she smiled brightly._

"_What's the hurry?" he grinned, falling in step beside her as the two walked out the gates._

"_Arashi wanted me to help her with some of the chores at the orphanage today," she answered._

"_Can I help out too?" he asked playfully, plucking out the small notebook from her hands._

"_Syaoran," she giggled, trying to get the copy back from the brunette but he held it out of her reach, watching her with amused chocolate-colored eyes as she struggled to steal it back from him. "Give it back."_

"_Nah," he shook his head, quickly stuffing the book inside his jacket as his girlfriend tried to glare at him. She failed miserably thanks to the mischievous expression on his face. "I think I'll keep this with me."_

"_Fine," she pouted, crossing her arms across her chest as she looked away from him, "then I'm not going to let you help me with the chores because I'm not talking to you."_

"_Aww… Come _on,_ Sakura," he tried to coax her but she refused to look at him._

"_No." She shook her head, speeding up. "I'm mad at you."_

"_Bu… But you can't be mad at me," he protested, fastening his pace to match hers._

"_I can." she replied stubbornly, "And I am."_

"_Don't be so cruel, Sakura," he pleaded, though she could hear the laughter in his tone. "How can you be mad at your perfectly perfect and awesomely awesome boyfriend?"_

_Suppressing a smile, she furrowed her brows. "You're nowhere _near_ perfect, Mr. Football-head. And I just demoted you from the position of my awesomely awesome boyfriend. Now go away." She said, pushing him away from her and making him stumble back a couple of steps, "You're annoying me."_

"_Sakura…" he spoke in a serious tone all of a sudden as he stopped walking. Wondering why he sobered up all of a sudden, the jade-eyed girl stopped as well, turning around to face him._

"_Syaoran?" she hoped he didn't take her words seriously. She didn't mean what she said._

"_You look awfully cute when you're annoyed," he grinned, quickly stealing a kiss from her before racing off in the direction of the orphanage. "And you look like a cherry when you blush." He added, knowing that she was indeed turning into a replica of the aforementioned fruit._

"_Syaoran!" Blushing madly at his antics, she ran after him, his rich laughter ringing in her ears._

"_Catch me if you can, Cherry!"_

"_Sakura! I'm Sakura! _Not_ a fruit!"_

"_Sure thing, Cherry!"_

"_It's Sakura! Sa-"_

"Sakura," someone shook her shoulder, "Wake up."

"Mmm…" rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the green-eyed girl sat up in bed, only to find Arashi and Sorata's grinning faces standing in front of her. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Birthday Girl," Sorata grinned, pulling out a wrapped box from behind his back. "You're seventeen today!"

"Happy Birthday, Sakura," Arashi smiled, taking the gift from her husband's hands and handing it to her.

"Thank you." She gave them a soft smile, looking at the rectangular parcel wrapped in a light pink wrapping paper.

"We hope you'll like it," Arashi told her, taking her husband's arm and steering her out of the auburn-haired girl's room. "You should start getting ready for school or you'll miss the bus. Your friend, Fai, called last night. He said he wouldn't be able to pick you up for school today."

"Oh." Feeing a small pang of disappointment, Sakura climbed out of bed just as the door to her room closed. It wasn't really his fault he wasn't going to come pick her up today. After all, she had not told him that it was her birthday. Placing the box on her bedside table, Sakura shook her head and headed towards the bathroom situated down the hall.

She'd just have to brave up and face the bullies in the bus this morning. Maybe they would have forgotten about her by now? Maybe they wouldn't notice her and leave her alone?

-0-

"I'm really sorry I couldn't come to the orphanage in the morning, Sakura," Fai apologized sincerely as he walked her out of their last class for the day.

"It's okay," she shook her head, suppressing a small smile, knowing that he really cared about her. "I didn't have to take the bus after all. Kurogane gave me a lift."

"That-" Whatever it was that the blond was about to say was drowned out by a loud squeal from down the hallway.

"SAKURA!"

"T-Tomoyo?" the auburn haired girl gasped as the raven-head barreled into her and gave her a crushing hug.

"Yeah, me." Said girl smiled brightly, ignoring the looks some students shot their way. "Now come on, we gotta hurry."

"H-hurry? Why?" Sakura stuttered, staring at her friend with wide-eyes.

"Because we have to get ready." She answered, as though that explained everything. "Come _on._"

Tugging at her hand, the energetic raven-head gave her no chance to react as she dragged Sakura towards the girl washrooms.

"My, my, Kurgy," Fai smirked, approaching the red-eyed teen who had been walking behind Tomoyo earlier, "aren't _we_ dressed a little nicely today?"

"Shut it, Flourite." Was the growled response of the Japanese-teen, "I don't want Kinomoto to cry over your death on her birthday just because you couldn't keep your mouth shut."

Not letting the teasing grin fade from his face, the blond decided to comply with his senior's wishes.

Fifteen minutes later, a flustered Sakura was being pulled along by Tomoyo, dressed in a simple knee-length light green dress with a warm, brown colored embroidered design along the hemline and the ends of her sleeves. On the right side of the dress, the design swirled and rose towards her waist in a rather abstract pattern, the colors shifting from brown to a light frosty blue. Nothing much had been altered about her appearance, but Fai could detect hints of makeup on the jade-eyed girl's face.

"Umm… Where exactly are we going?" she asked softly once she came to a stop before Fai, carefully avoiding eye contact, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"You'll see in about…" Fai raised his arm to make a show of checking the time as he grinned, "in around half an hour's time."

"She won't if we keep on standing here all day long," Tomoyo shook her head, grabbing Kurogane's arm and attaching herself to it. "Let's go." She grinned, pulling the red-eyed teen along.

"Shall we?" Fai smiled at Sakura, bowing a little before offering her his arm.

"S-sure." Mirroring his smile, she took the proffered arm, struggling to keep from transforming herself into a cherry. Only one other person had ever been able to make her feel this way.

Fai led her out the doors and towards the parking lot. Spotting Tomoyo and Kurogane already seated in the latter's truck Sakura made to go in that direction but was stopped by Fai who shook his head, chuckling at her obvious confusion.

"How about we take _my_ car instead? I'm sure Kuro will be able to keep up with us."

"O-okay."

He led her towards the black Corolla parked on the other side of Kurogane's truck. It was an average looking car which seemed to be in rather decent shape, though the model did seem like it was at least a decade old if not more than that. But it seemed like it had been recently painted, the black coat shining in the in late winter/early spring sun.

Fai unlocked and held the passenger's side door open for Sakura. Grinning at her as she seated herself, Fai hurried over to the other side and climbed behind the driving wheel, buckling up as the green-eyed girl did the same.

"Try and not lose us, alright Kurgy?" Fai teased an impatient-looking Kurogane before the blond put the gear in shift and reversed the car, tires screeching slightly as he cut sharply and sped out the school gates.

Hearing Sakura cry out in surprise at the sudden velocity, Fai gave her a sheepish smile, slowing down slightly to let Kurogane catch up.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, "I'm a bit of a speed demon, I'm afraid."

"Speed demon?" Sakura exclaimed, looking at him with wide eyes before she realized her mistake and quickly looked away, blushing heavily as she berated herself for exploding at Fai like that. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he laughed good-naturedly. "Eva had the same reaction when I first got my first car."

"Eva?" Sakura asked softly, feeling her heart sink for some unknown reason.

"She's a really close friend of mine." Fai answered, taking a turn and heading towards the exit to the city.

"I see." She responded in a small voice.

"She's the one who helped me break out of the hospital." He admitted, winking at her as he shifted the gear once more.

"Oh."

"Don't worry, Sakura," Fai assured her gently, "I let Arashi and Sorata know that we were planning to go to Shambilk today. Plus Tomoyo got the boss to give us three the day off."

"That's nice." She responded in a distant manner.

"I take it that's not what you wanted to hear."

"Huh? Oh, no. No." she shook her head vigorously, "I'm really glad you guys are doing this for me but..." she trailed off, looking out the window on her side to see the scenery change from the sub-urban areas of Sahil to vast open fields, the crops turning a light shade of gold as they season neared harvest time.

"But?" Fai pressed lightly.

"Nothing…" she looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, wracking her brains to come up with something else to talk about. "You said your first car. Does this mean that this is your second?"

"Um… No," he shook his head grinning sheepishly at her, "Third one actually."

"Third?"

"I got my first one a little before my sixteenth birthday but it got trashed when Eva got in an accident. My second one blew up after my uncle's funeral."

"Oh."

"I'm kinda sad I couldn't get it fixed since he bought it for me, but… I guess… accidents are a part of life."

Sakura felt as though there was more to it than just an accident, but she decided not to pry. It wasn't really her place to question him.

-0-

"And here we are!" Fai announced happily, parking the car outside a rather luxurious looking restaurant. "The Four Leaf Clover."

"Wow, this place looks really expensive." Tomoyo breathed appreciatively.

"Don't worry about it," Fai waved a hand as he helped Sakura out of the car. "A friend of the family owns this place."

"Master Flourite, it's good to see again." The receptionist greeted the blond with a bright smile.

"Thanks, Caldina, it's good to see you too," he replied, returning the red-head's smile, "Table for four?"

"Right this way," stepping out smartly from behind the desk, she led them towards the back, seating them at a table next to the window that overlooked a lush garden. "A waiter will be right with you take your orders."

"Great taste, Fai, I'm impressed," Tomoyo grinned as she picked up a menu and started scanning it.

"Kino- hey, um… Sakura," Kurogane started somewhat awkwardly, digging inside his jacket and pulling out a small, wrapped box. "Happy Birthday."

"Th-thank you." She smiled, blushing as she took the box and ducked her head.

"I already gave you my gift," Tomoyo said, flipping a page in the menu before looking over it and shooting a bright smile at Sakura, "but I think I kinda forgot to wish you in my excitement so… Happy Birthday, Sakura! I hope you liked the dress."

"Thanks," She smiled and this time, the jade-eyed girl's grin was beautiful. "I love it."

"My gift for you is going to have to wait a while," Fai informed her, "But Happy Birthday, Sakura."

"It's okay," she felt her vision cloud over as tears of happiness misted her eyes. "You didn't have to do anything."

"Of course we did," Tomoyo disagreed. "You're my newest best friend and _my_ best friends always get the _Best._ Birthdays. Ever." She winked just as a waiter came up to their table and asked for orders.

The group chatted for a while as they waited for their food, with Fai and Tomoyo doing most of the talking, Sakura contributing to the conversation as well, though Kurogane decided not to say much, as was usually the case with the Japanese teen.

"I heard that talent show of yours got cancelled," Tomoyo spoke, taking a sip from her juice.

"No, only postponed," Fai shook his head before grinning slyly, "but that only gives me more time to work on the song that Sakura's going to sing."

"She sings?" surprisingly enough it was Kurogane who asked this question.

"Yes, she has an amazing voice," Fai's grinned widened as Sakura blushed at his praise.

"Oh God, Sakura!" Tomoyo gushed, "You _have _to sing a song once we're finished with lunch."

"O-oh, but, um…"

"And I know just the place." Fai announced. "It's actually just a couple of-"

"Fai?" a surprised voice interrupted him before he could finish however. "What the heck are you doing over here?"

"Eva?" the blond responded in an equally surprised tone as he looked at someone approaching the group from behind Tomoyo and Sakura. "I thought you were going to be out of town."

"Out of town my foot, you big- Oh." Her furious tone morphed into a pleasant smile as she noticed the three other people occupying the table with Fai. "Hello."

"Hello," the girls smiled back politely, though Sakura had to force herself to return the gesture. The girl before her was very pretty. With almost liquid-silver shaded eyes and short fiery red hair that was spiky and pointing every which way.

So this was Fai's close friend. He never really did specify close in what manner. What if… what if she wasn't just a close friend? What if…

"I'm really sorry for interrupting your lunch like this, but could I borrow Fai over here for a few minutes?" she said in sweet tone, grabbing the blonde's arm without even waiting for their response as she pulled him to his feet. "Thanks."

Sakura felt her heart shatter as she watched the two move towards the back of the restaurant and disappear from sight, behind a pair of curtains, probably towards one of the private booths. She stood no chance in front of this girl. Feeling Tomoyo's sad gaze on her, Sakura quickly lowered her head, hiding her prickling eyes behind a curtain of auburn hair.

-0-

"Eva, you can let go of my arm now," Fai spoke in a calm manner once the redhead had dragged him inside a private booth and shut the door behind her. "I'm not gonna run away."

"You… you… you _idiot!_" she exploded, hitting him on top of his head before she crossed her arms across her chest. "Not gonna run away he says. Do you have any idea how worried I have been? You didn't even leave a friggin' _goodbye_ note!"

"Sorry about that, Eva," he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the tender spot on his head. "It's just that I-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Fai," she scowled angrily, narrowing her eyes at him. "Let me see them."

"Now?" he asked in a exasperated tone.

"Yes. Now!" she narrowed her till they were nothing but slits, "Or do I have to force you?"

"Fine," he sighed, moving his hands to unzip his jacket.

"So she's the one, huh?" she said softly, a rueful smile appearing on her lips as Fai took off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Five broken ribs, two more fractured, a broken arm and I don't know how many lacerations on your body, none of the wounds having healed properly, and you ran off. She must be something special."

"She is." Fai responded with a small smile as he slipped out of his shirt and sat on top of the table to let Eva examine him. "Ouch! Hey, easy with all the poking." He winced as she pressed her cold fingers against his bruised side.

"Oh, shut it." She rolled her eyes as she moved her hands to his back. "Hmm… I can't feel the torn muscles in your back any more, so that's one good thing." Grabbing hold of his arm, she moved the palm of her hand over its inner side. "The bone only has a hairline fracture now, so I guess we won't have to worry about that either." Taking his chin in her hands, she peered into his right eye. "The blood vessels have healed up nicely too."

"So I suppose I won't be going blind in that eye after all." he chuckled softly.

"Drat," she cursed softly, "and here I was looking forward to ripping it out of your pretty little face and devouring it for its delicious magical powers."

"That is disturbing on so many levels. I never thought you were into cannibalism." He faked a shudder before cocking a brow at her, "Are you sure you were never dropped on your head when you were a kid?"

"Nope," she smiled, placing her hands back on his bruised side. Fai let out a relieved sigh as a soothing warmth began to seep into his body from the point of contact and he felt the pain recede, "I blame the accident for that."

"Are you sure it's a smart idea to become involved with that girl?" She asked after a while.

"Eva." Fai warned quietly.

"Fai, I worry about you, you know that, right?" she lowered her head, removing her hands as he jumped off the table and began redressing himself.

"I know." he nodded, zipping his jacket as he moved towards the door. "_He_ used to worry about me too."

"If something were to happen to-" she started speaking but the blue-eyed teen whirled around, grabbing her shoulders forcefully, making her look up and lock her gaze with his. "_Nothing_ will happen to me, Eva." He promised seriously before a goofy smile returned to his face. "Now how about I properly introduce you to my friends?"

-0-

"Sorry about the long wait, guys," Fai apologized as he approached the table with Eva in tow. Offering his chair to Eva, Fai slipped into the booth right next to Sakura.

"Everyone, I would like you to meet my long time best friend, Eva," he grinned before taking Sakura's hand in his own, "Eva, meet Sakura Kinomoto, the birthday girl, Tomoyo Daidouji, her newest best friend and Kurgy."

"It's Kurogane, damn it!" the red-eyed teen growled habitually.

"Nice to meet you all," Eva bowed her head lightly before looking at Sakura. "I must say Fai, your girlfriend is pretty cute!"

"G-girlfriend?" stuttered Sakura and Fai in unison.

"Oh, look, they even say the exact same things." She grinned, "How adorable, won't you agree, Tomoyo?"

"Definitely." The lavender-eyed girl laughed, watching Sakura turn into a cherry.

"Well, I'm really sorry, Sakura. I didn't know it was your birthday so I didn't really buy anything. Actually when I left home today, I didn't even imaging I would run into Fai over here so… I don't have a gift for you, _yet!"_

"U-um… no. It's q-quite alright." She stammered, feeling her heart race at the feeling of Fai's warm hand touching her own.

"Nonsense." Eva waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh! I know. How about I treat you all to ice-cream?"

"In winter?" Kurogane cocked a brow at her. Looking at the girls sitting across from her, she could see similar expressions of incredulity on their faces.

"Oh, my God. You guys have been missing out on one of _the_ most amazing things in life. Ice-cream in winter is just a whole new level of epicness." A look of determination flashed on her face, "We mustn't waste another second here! Come my newly acquired friends. I shall not allow you to miss out on such a wonderful experience." Grabbing Kurogane's hand, she dragged him out of the booth, "Let's go!"

"She got dropped on her head quite often when she was a kid." Fai whispered in a conspirational tone to the remaining girls seated at the table. "Poor thing suffers from irreversible brain damage."

_**A/N: I hope this was long enough for you guys. It's actually almost 4500 words long so it's one of the longer chapters of this fic. Be happy!**_

_**I hope you enjoyed the small doses of mystery, angst, fluffiness and my somewhat lame attempts at humor. *sweatdrops***_

_**So, even though I have a song in mind for Sakura to sing, I'd still like your feedback and maybe some suggestions for her song? How do you think Tomoyo is going to get Fai and Sakura together?**_

_**And what do you make of the conversations between Freya and Caleb and Eva and Fai? Any guesses on what might be lurking just beyond the horizon? How long do you think will I let their peace and quiet last before a shower of eels paves way for disaster?**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Here I have the next chapter of Whispers in the Dark. Sorry for the wait you guys, this has been a very busy weekend for me and I have tons of projects and presentations due in the fortnight so yeah, I kinda stuck with those but lucky for you guys, I had written this and the chapters for my other fics a while back. I don't own the lyrics of the song used in this chapter but if any of you would like to listen to it, look up 'Apple and Cinnamon' by 'Hikaru Utada' on youtube.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

"What did I tell you guys?" Eva grinned as everyone finished their ice-cream.

"You're right. Ice-cream in winter is enjoyable on a whole other level." Tomoyo nodded appreciatively. "Wouldn't you agree, Kurogane?"

Kurogane, who was finishing the last bits of his bitter chocolate ice-cream, merely grunted in response.

"So, what are you guys planning on doing after this?"Eva asked, pushing her empty cup away from her as she looked at the others. Before anyone could answer, however, a loud clap of thunder made them all look outside.

"Hyuu," Fai fake-whistled, "looks like it's going to rain." Even as he spoke, fat droplets of water began splattering the windowpane and the pavement outside.

"We should head back before the storm gets worse," Sakura said, worriedly biting her lip. "It's going to be really difficult driving back to Sahil otherwise."

"Umm… Hate to say this, but," Eva looked outside once more as the rain fell heavier still. "It already did." And sure enough, in less than a couple of minutes the previously calm and peaceful evening had transformed into a hurricane.

"Driving in this sort of weather is going to be a real pain," Fai sighed softly, shaking his head.

"The roads are going to be hard to maneuver," Kurogane agreed.

"So that means we're stuck here till the storm passes." Tomoyo concluded forlornly.

"Which might not be until way past midnight," Eva informed them, "I saw it on the weather channel earlier." She clarified upon receiving their questioning looks.

"What are we going to do now?" Sakura nervously bit her lip again. Thunder rumbled overhead, making her jump in surprise. Fai squeezed her hand lightly in a comforting gesture. "Sorry, I'm not very…" Sakura turned her head to give him a shaky smile, jumping once again as the roared angrily, "c-comfortable in this sort of weather."

"It's okay," Fai smiled wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, completely ignoring his other two female companions' gleeful faces.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurogane roll his eyes as Tomoyo softly squealed '_cute'_.

"Ahem, well umm…" Eva cleared her throat, smiling broadly as Sakura imitated a cherry yet again, "How about you guys spend the night at my place? You can leave in the morning."

"Would that be okay?" Tomoyo asked, glancing outside through the windowpane, unable to see the street outside due to the pouring rain. "Won't your family be troubled, having to accommodate four teenagers?"

"Of course," she gave them an easy grin, ignoring the sharp look Fai shot towards her, "I have a couple of spare guestrooms in my apartment. And I live by myself, so it's no trouble at all. In fact," she looked towards Fai, sending him a silent message as she met his gaze for a couple of seconds, "I'd really like it if you guys came."

"Guys?" Tomoyo looked at her other three friends. Kurogane looked outside, heaving a sigh before giving a short nod. "Sure."

"I'll have to call and let Sorata and Arashi know," Sakura answered. "Fai?" she looked at the teen sitting beside her who merely smiled. "If you're all staying then I am too, I guess."

"Great," Eva happily jumped to her feet, "you can call and let them know on the way. We should get going before the storm worsens any further."

"I know where you live, so why don't you go with Kurgy?" Fai suggested as they neared the exit to the ice-cream parlor.

"Alright," she laughed, moving closer to the red-eyed teen and his date, "I get the hint. I'll let you have some quality alone time with your girlfriend." Without waiting for their response, she raced out into the rain, right behind Kurogane and Tomoyo as they hurried towards his pickup truck parked across the street.

"She's an idiot," Fai shook his head, "therefore you can ignore her." Turning to look at a very pink Sakura he asked, "So, umm… Race you to the car?" he laughed, holding the door open for her.

By the time they had climbed into the Corolla, they were both soaked through, Sakura's teeth chattering in the cold. Reaching over, Fai turned on the heat, taking off his jacket and placing it around her shoulders before turning on the ignition. Putting on his seat belt, he put the car in gear. The visibility wasn't great, despite the windshield wipers on working on maximum power, so the drive to Eva's apartment building was slow and long. Sakura called her guardians and let them know about the storm and their plan to stay overnight at a friend's place, and was given permission to stay. The silence in the car once the call ended was not uncomfortable.

A cold gust of wind blew in the underground parking lot as they climbed out of the vehicle and made their way towards the lifts. Sakura shivered in the cold, her exposed legs getting goose bumps all over them. Trying to keep her body from trembling, she pulled Fai's jacket closer around herself as they waited side by side for the lift to arrive. Kurogane's truck was parked at a little distance from where Fai had parked his own car, so the others were already there.

"Eva lives on the tenth floor," he informed her, pressing the floor number as they climbed inside the lift and it began to steadily move upwards. They must have been halfway between the fifth and the sixth floor when the light suddenly flickered and they stopped moving.

"Shit!" Fai cursed under his breath, immediately pulling out his cellphone to provide some light in the otherwise pitch-black room. Not thirty seconds later it started to ring.

"Please tell me you guys are not stuck in the lift," Sakura heard Eva speak.

"I _could_ tell you that," Fai replied, "but then I would be lying."

"Great." She groaned on the other end, "Just great. Alright," she said briskly, "don't go anywhere. I'll do something to get you guys out."

"We're stuck in a _lift_, Eva," Fai chuckled lightly, "I don't think we could go anywhere even if we wanted to."

"Oh, shut up." She grumbled in irritation before ending the call.

"She says she's going to get help to get us out." he informed her, observing her through the pale light of the tiny illuminated cell phone screen. She was shivering from the cold, despite the jacket that he had let her borrow.

"O-okay." She managed to get out through her chattering teeth, wrapping her arms around her torso to retain some body heat. Mentally sighing at the stupid thing he was about to do, Fai stepped closer to her.

"Are you cold?" he asked gently, noticing that she took a couple of steps away from him.

"I-I'm fi-ne." she replied.

Wordlessly, he stepped closer to her once again, the battery of his cell phone dying out on them at that particular moment. But he didn't need the light to know where she stood with her back half turned towards him. Stopping behind her, he placed his arms around her petite, shivering frame, pulling her body closer to his own.

"F-Fai?" she gasped in surprise, certainly not having expected such a move on the blonde's part.

"This will keep you warmer," he told her gently, closing his eyes to inhale deeply. Her unique, cherry blossom scent assaulted his senses, but he managed to raise the temperature of his body enough to make her stop shivering. She stood stiff and still in his embrace for a while, before relaxing into his touch and leaning into him just a little, wanting to get closer to the source of her warmth.

"Thank you," she murmured softly in a grateful tone.

"No problem, Sakura," he replied, nuzzling her hair to breath in her somewhat-intoxicating scent. Time seemed to hold no meaning for the two as they stood in the dark elevator with one embracing the other. For all they knew, years could have passed outside or it might have been a little over fifteen minutes at maximum. All they knew was that the power came back on far too soon for their taste, as the light flickered back to life and they started moving again with a slow rumble.

Clearing his throat, Fai let go of Sakura's waist, the jade-eyed girl reluctantly relinquishing her hold on his arms as they stepped away from each other, blushing lightly. Surprisingly enough, Sakura did not feel cold at all and looking down she noticed that her dripping clothes had already partially dried. Whatever cloth Tomoyo had used to make her dress must be quick drying material or something.

Eva stood waiting for them right outside the lift when it arrived on her floor.

"I managed to get them to turn on the emergency generator," she said, shooting Fai a knowing look as Sakura stepped outside with a pink tint on her cheeks. "Now hurry up. You should get out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold."

-0-

"So when do we get to hear your angelic voice, Sakura?" Eva asked a short while after dinner. They were all seated in her living room. The food had been cooked by Eva and Fai, though Tomoyo had insisted on helping. Sakura had tried to come along as well, but Eva had flat-out refused to allow her, saying that she could never make a girl work in the kitchen on her birthday.

"W-what?" the girl looked at her with wide-eyes, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding vehicle.

"You _were_ going to sing a song, right?" Eva cocked a brow at her, a small, teasing smirk settling on her features as she looked at the auburn-haired girl currently dressed in a pair of baggy trousers and a simple grey t-shirt.

"Um…"

"Aww, come on. Please, Sakura," Tomoyo pleaded, "I really want to hear you sing."

"And it's not like we're going to force only you to sing," Eva added, her smirk transforming into a full-blown grin. Fai shot her a sharp look, one that wasn't missed by Kurogane and Tomoyo, though Eva chose to ignore it.

"What do you mean?" Sakura cocked her head to one side, the confusion evident in her tone.

"Don't tell me you haven't told them yet," Eva turned her gaze to Fai, looking incredulous though three people in the room knew otherwise. The glint in her eyes told them she was thoroughly enjoying this.

"Hoo boy." She sighed, shaking her head melodramatically before looking at Sakura with a serious expression on her face. "It pains me to be the one to tell you this, Sakura, but your boyfriend has been lying to you."

"Lying to me?" the betrayed expression on her face made the redhead instantly feel guilty for her joke, so she decided to tell her the truth quickly instead of blowing it out of proportion like she had initially planned. "Fai is an idiot who not only is able to play the guitar amazingly well and write his own songs -though he never lets me look at those, I know he does 'cause I went through his stuff before." She grinned a Cheshire Cat grin at Fai's protest, "but that is not the end of the story. So as an apology for lying to you, Fai is going to sing you a song once your turn is over."

"Um…" Sakura bit her lip, looking around her nervously. "I can't really sing without playing."

"No worries." Eva chirped, jumping to her feet and that indicating the others do the same. "My uncle knew how much we loved music, so he had one of the rooms converted into a small studio."

"We?" Tomoyo asked as they followed her towards the room down the narrow hallway that housed the doors to her bedroom and the guestrooms. She twisted the doorknob for the very last door, switching the lights on as she stepped inside.

"Fai, me, and my uncle's daughter." Eva explained as they all filed in. Leading Sakura over to an electric keyboard set up in one corner of the room, she smiled. "All yours."

Looking back in the direction of her friends, she saw Fai give her an encouraging nod, Tomoyo beaming brightly in her direction, and even Kurogane seemed to relax his posture a bit.

Taking in a deep breath, she positioned her fingers above the keyboard, closing her eyes as she tried to recall the melody she wanted to play. Soft, sweet notes filled the air as she began playing, her mind beginning to drift to a different time altogether.

_**Tell me, what is on your mind**_

"_Hey, what's wrong?" she asked silently, observing the boy she had fallen in love with as he gazed at the murky waters with a moody frown._

_Tearing his gaze away from the raging river below them, he turned his head to look at her face as she bit her lip. "I-I…" shaking his head he looked away once again. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."_

_**Help me, cause I'd like to know**_

"_Is it something that I did?" she whispered, wondering why he had been so distant lately._

"_No." he replied shortly._

_**What the hell is going on**_

"_I wish you'd tell me what was troubling you," she murmured, lowering her gaze to watch the river as it churned underneath the bridge._

"_Troubling me?" He laughed unconvincingly, amber eyes darkening with unknown sorrow. "Everything's fine, Sakura. It's exactly the way it's supposed to be."_

_**Never thought I'd sing this song**_

"_Are you okay, child?" she blearily opened her eyes to see an aged woman leaning over her with a concerned frown on her face._

"_S-Syaoran," she managed to croak, feeling a gaping hole in the place where her heart used to be, "Syao-ran…" she repeated brokenly, climbing to her feet as she staggered towards the bridge where they had been standing a short while ago._

_**Let's not get started with the he said she said**_

"_N-no… Syaoran, get away from there, please."_

"_I'm sorry, Sakura." His sad smile flashed in her vision as she stared at the river._

_**Sometimes it just doesn't go out as planned**_

"_Syaoran!"_

_**Let's not get started with the he said she said**_

"_We're sorry, Miss." The officer spoke gently as though afraid of upsetting her. _

_She looked so frail. Like a fragile, porcelain doll. One wrong word, one wrong move could cause her to shatter into a million pieces, the shards too small for her to pick up and fix herself._

_**Sometimes it just doesn't go out as planned**_

"_We were unable to locate his body." He confessed, watching the tears spill from her eyes as she sobbed heartbreakingly._

_**Started out so simple and innocent**_

"_Hi," he greeted with a smile, "I'm Syaoran Li."_

"_Sakura Kinomoto," she responded in a slightly guarded voice._

_**So simple and innocent**_

"_I noticed you were having trouble in math class," he said conversationally, walking alongside her as she made her way towards her locker. "I could help with that."_

"_Why?" she asked, looking him over suspiciously as she stopped walking altogether._

_**So simple and innocent**_

"_Because you look like you need it," he replied in an honest, matter-of-fact tone. Sakura could detect no hints of malice or ill will hidden in his gaze. _

"_I can manage just fine on my own," she responded in a clipped manner, turning on her heels and resuming her walk down the corridor._

_**So simple and innocent**_

"_But I can help you." He insisted, catching up with her._

"_Why?"_

"_Because I'd like to be your friend."_

_**Chemistry like apple and cinnamon**_

"_You know, the best thing I like about you," he whispered, staring at her with soft, amber eyes, the gold in them dancing like lights reflected upon water. "is your eyes."_

_**Like apple and cinnamon**_

"_And your smile," he added, drawing closer to her._

_**Like apple and cinnamon**_

"_As corny as this may sound," he admitted, his words nothing than a soft whisper against her lips, "whenever you smile, the whole worlds seems to come… _alive_." _

_**Like apple and cinnamon**_

_And with that word, he closed the distance between them, pulling her into a slow kiss that seemed to come pouring out straight from his heart._

The four teens watched her play in silence as she seemed to be lost in a world of her own. Fai had been right. Her voice was beautiful. Enchanting , even.

Tomoyo never really understood why the jade-eyed girl wouldn't want the world to see this hidden talent of hers. She had an amazing gift.

_**I can't believe that you and me are falling out of love**_

"_I'm sorry." A quite voice apologized. "But I didn't mean to hurt you."_

_**And everybody used to be so envious of us**_

"_Please, leave me alone." She told him and was surprised to hear how heartbroken she sounded._

_**Chemistry like apple and cinnamon**_

"_I'm so sorry…" he said once again as he pulled away from her. There was no smile on his pale face, his sapphire eyes were bloodshot and there were tears trailing down his cheeks, similar to the way they had been with her. Her breathe caught up in her throat as she gazed into his eyes, which were clearly reflecting their inner turmoil, letting her gaze into the very depths of his soul to see the pain that lurked there._

_Her body went stiff when all of a sudden without any warning whatsoever Fai crashed his lips against hers._

_**What we had was just too good  
Good to last…**_

_**A/N: Personally, the scene in where they are stuck in the lift is one of my favorite FaiSaku moments so far but what about you guys? What scene do you love the most between them? Oh and another question, do you prefer the FaiSaku moments or the few and far in between SyaoSaku moment in this fic. If it is the latter, which is your favorite moment so far?**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Another fluffy chapter for you all is finally here. The song Fai sings is 'All the way for you' by 'Poets of the fall'. It's a really great band and if you happen to want to look up some of their songs, do listen to 'Roses' and 'Carnival of Rust'. Those two are my personal Favs. ;) Anywho, without further ado, go ahead and enjoy.**_

"That was great!" Tomoyo gushed, clapping enthusiastically as soon as Sakura finished playing and the last notes of the song faded away. "I can't believe you were holding out on us for so long."

"I um…" Sakura blushed prettily at the praise, her eyes darting in Fai's direction who was smiling at her. A flicker of an undecipherable emotion passed through his eyes but it was gone before she could identify it.

"You have a really beautiful voice," Eva gave her an encouraging smile before turning to glare at Fai. "Aren't you supposed to say something to her?"

"I'd rather sing it instead," he replied, walking over to the corner where the guitar rested. "But before that," he raced out of the room, ducking back inside seconds later with a slightly damp sheet of paper. "Think you can play this?" he handed her the sheet before walking to the corner where a guitar was leaning against the wall.

"Piece of cake," she smirked at him, sliding onto the stool Sakura had just vacated.

Settling down on the floor so that he was leaning against the wall, he positioned the guitar before looking up to locking his gaze cerulean-eyed gaze with Sakura's.

"I wrote this just for you. Happy birthday, Sakura." he smiled at her before he gently began to strum the guitar.

"**Seems to matter what I do,"** he sang softly, **"so I'm saving this for you.****"**

_She flashed him a soft smile, her whole face lighting up in gratitude, "Thank you."_

"**Cause it seems to be the last piece there is****" **he continued, **"****And you haven't had a chance yet to taste this****"**

"_It was no problem at all."_

"**Fragments of a life you shouldn't miss" **he smiled at her.

"_Sakura, wait up!"_****

**"Seems to matter what I say," **his voice rang clear and gentle, **"so I'll hold my tongue at bay****"**

"_I'm sorry." A quite voice apologized. "But I didn't mean to hurt you."_

"**And rather use my mouth to kiss your frown away"** he grinned watching a bright blush appear on her cheeks, "**So your doubts no longer darken your day****"**

"_Sakura…"his breath ghosted her face as he captured her lips. He felt Sakura respond, her arms moving to his neck as they kissed. They broke apart after a while, staring at each other. Sakura's cheeks developed a red tint as she smiled at him sweetly._

"**So you can hold your head up high," **he did not break his gaze way from hers,** "come what may"**

"_I will, and…" she said, hitching her bag higher on her shoulders as they moved towards class. "Thank you." She smiled at him gratefully._

"**So please remember that I'm gonna follow through,"** he promised, **"all the way"**

"_I'll let them know where you are," He offered, "and once the fog let's up I'll drop you there, okay?"_

"**Cause it seems to matter where I go," **his fingers moved up and down the neck of the guitar as he strummed lightly, **"I will always let you know****"**

"_I got into an accident right after the funeral," He replied with a casual shrug as Sakura swung her locker shut. "I was conked out for a couple of days and in the hospital so I couldn't contact you. But I managed to sneak out."_****

**"That the place where I am is never far"**

_Sakura stood rooted to her spot as the blond teen apologized before rushing forward and catching her in a tight embrace."I'm so glad you're alright."_

"**You know, you're not alone, don't be alarmed****," **he assured her gently, "**I'll find you no matter where you are****"**

_She was sitting hunched over the guardrail of the bridge the murky waters beneath her as the mist swirled around her body giving her the appearance of a beautiful wraith. Having looked all over the place this was the last place he thought she would want to hide out at. Sighing in relief he started walking towards her._

"**So please remember that I'm gonna follow through," **he sang, **"all the way****"**

_Stopping behind her, he placed his arms around her petite, shivering frame, pulling her body closer to his own. Her unique, cherry blossom scent assaulted his senses, but he managed to raise the temperature of his body enough to make her stop shivering. She stood stiff and still in his embrace for a while, before relaxing into his touch and leaning into him just a little, wanting to get closer to the source of her warmth._

Hearing him stop singing, Eva took her cue to start playing the piano, the soft sweet melody filling up the room as her fingers dances across the keys.

"**Oh my love, if it's all I can do,"** His eyes bore straight into hers as he began strumming once again,** "I'll take the fall for you" **blushing slightly, the jade-eyed girl averted her gaze, a soft smile adorning her lips. "**Cause I will soar when I lay down with you and give my all for you."**

"**Oh my love, if it's all I can do, I'll take the fall for you," **he repeated, closing his eyes to push away the memories that threatened to surface as he spoke those words. Now was not the time to be thinking about that, so he pushed the thought away and continued singing, "**Cause I will soar when I lay down with you and give my all for you."**

"Oh my," Tomoyo sniffled in mock pride, "I'm surrounded by such talented people." Then walking over to Fai she hit his arm, "alright, so what else do we not know about you, hmm?" she narrowed her violet eyes, looking at him closely.

"Nothing much," Fai laughed lightly, placing the guitar back in its place as he looked Eva and Sakura. "I'm just here on a mission to protect Sakura from the evils of this world." Grinning widely, he winked at the girl in question, making her blush. "But now that I have told you about it," he continued on, his expression turning serious, "I'm going to have to kill you."

"Yikes!" the lavender-eyed girl exclaimed in mock horror, "guess I should have listened to my mom and learnt not to meddle in other people's businesses. Now I'm going to get killed unless someone can fight you off." Moving away from the blond, she hurried over to Kurogane and hid behind him, "Kurogane would protect me though, right?" Looking up at the tan teenager, she continued, "You wouldn't let him hurt me, would you?"

"Err…" Kurogane looked uncomfortable, not sure how to respond since he knew the girl was only jesting but he could feel the heat creep along his face at her sudden proximity. It took a few seconds for Tomoyo to comprehend it but when she noticed how she had subconsciously pressed up against him. Light pink dusted her pale cheeks as well as she hurriedly let go of him, hastily looking away.

Eva yawned loudly, successfully breaking the sudden tension in the air as she climbed to her feet. "Sorry guys. I was kinda doing some heavy duty work before I ran into you guys. I think I'm a lot more tired than I thought I was. " Looking over at the other teens in the room with her, "how about I show you guys where you can turn in for the night, hmm?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Tomoyo said, happy to be given the opportunity to cover up what had just happened.

"Alright, so Sakura and Tomoyo can take the guest bedroom," Eva told them, walking out of the room and showing the girls to the guest bed, "and I think Fai can share his room with Kurogane." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the door next to studio, "I'll go get the extra blankets and pillows."

"I'll help," Fai offered as he followed the redhead towards the direction of the kitchen. Apparently the storage closet was connected to it.

"Heavy duty work?" Fai questioned in a serious tone once he was out of earshot of the others.

"I found another base of theirs." She answered unlocking the closet.

"You went to take care of them, _alone?_" Fai had to struggle to keep his voice from rising. "Eva, you know how dangerous that is."

"It's not like _you_ didn't go off on your own after the funeral." She responded a little hotly.

"Eva." Fai warned quietly.

"I'm not the one who almost got himself killed, Fai." She said, throwing a pair of pillows at him as she struggled with the blankets. "And nothing they can throw at me will hurt me for long."

"What if they caught you?"

"I'd rather die than let that happen, and you know it," Eva growled, finally managing to tug the blankets out of the closet. Kicking it closed with her foot, she turned around to walk out of the kitchen, only to almost crash into Fai.

"How many?" He asked in a tone that hinted at no arguments.

"Five." She answered, meeting his serious stare with a defiant one. "I killed five of them. Happy?"

"You know what I mean, Eva." He said refusing to let her pass as she tried to get away from him. "How many?" he repeated his earlier question.

"Three." She sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat as she looked away.

"Fuck!" he hissed angrily, "Eva, you might be able to heal exceptionally fast, but you are not immune to bullets damn it."

"I know." she responded softly. "Two were only flesh wounds though. So it didn't take a lot out of me to heal it."

"And the third?" he cocked a brow.

"It went through my shoulder." She answered, finally managing to get around him. "But I'm fine now. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Eva…"

"Fai, I know how to take care of myself," Eva said softly as she stopped near the exit to the kitchen, "besides, I'm just as good at pretending as you, so don't worry. They won't suspect a thing."

"…"

"We shouldn't keep your friends waiting." She said, clearing her throat as she resumed walking away from him, "They'll start wondering where we are."

-0-

"A Toyota Corrolla?" Eva cocked a brow as she, Sakura and Fai approached the blonde's car the next day. Tomoyo had received a call from her sister earlier in the morning telling her to come home before noon. Even though there were still a few hours before then, Tomoyo had told the others that she had some errands to run before then so she had left with Kurogane before Eva had a chance to make breakfast.

But the redhead had managed to stop the other two long enough to feed them a hearty breakfast of buttered toasts and pancakes with hot chocolate.

"It was in a nice condition," Fai shrugged, unlocking the car and holding the door open for Sakura to climb in. "It's not like I could afford to buy a sports car or something from the money that I saved up."

"I see…" she hummed, "though I bet an Audi would have blown Sakura off her feet." The girl in question blushed deeply while Fai shot Eva a warning look before grinning at Sakura. "Don't mind her Sakura, like I said, irreversible brain damage."

"I resent that." Eva huffed indignantly, crossing out her arms across her chest as Fai started the car and pulled out of the parking lot at a normal pace just as Sakura burst into a fit of soft giggles. "Are you sure you haven't caught a bug of some sort, Fai?"

"Pretty much, why?"

"You actually managed to _drive_ the car instead of making it fly." She exclaimed dramatically in response.

"Ha ha. Very funny Eva." Fai responded, shifting the gear and speeding off down the road.

"Or not." Eva laughed, shaking her head as she let her gaze linger in the direction the car had vanished. "Be careful, Fai." She said to no one as she turned around and began making her way back to her apartment. "And stay safe."

-0-

Kurogane and Tomoyo emerged from a coffee shop with disposable cups of two cups of coffee. The lavender-eyed girl was chattering lightly, her tinkling laughter sounding like the soft chimes of bells in the early winter morning.

Just as the two were about to turn around a corner, however, an early morning jogger coming from the other direction crashed into Kurogane sending his cup to the floor. Thankfully none of the coffee spilled on his clothes. "Sorry." The brunette who had crashed into him apologized as she kept on running.

"Great."

"You can have mine," Tomoyo offered, holding out her cup to him.

"Its fine," Kurogane shook his head, looking away from the sight of his previously half full cup. "I was almost finished with it anyways."

Tomoyo looked at the spilt liquid before raising her brow at him questioningly. "Take it." she repeated, shoving the cup in his hands, before eyeing another coffee shop across the street, "I'm in the mood for hot chocolate anyways." Turning around to look at him with her lower lip stuck out in a cute pout she continued, "Buy some for me?"

"F-Fine," he huffed, hoping to cover his flustered look. That girl was too cute for her own good. Looking down he noticed that her cup was completely untouched. She laughed merrily and he found himself staring at her face in wonder.

"What?" Tomoyo asked softly, noticing his gaze on her and growing a little self-conscious.

"Nothing," he responded walking towards her. A strand of hair had escaped her ponytail and was now falling across her right eye, obscuring it from his view. He liked looking at her eyes though. Reaching out with one hand, he tucked the strand behind her ear, "I like seeing your eyes when you laugh."

Tomoyo blushed when she felt his fingers graze her skin as he pushed her hair out of the way. "What else do you like?" she asked smiling a little slyly as he realized what he was doing and quickly retrieved his hand.

"U-um... I err…"

HONK!

"Get off the road you idiots!" the angry yell of a driver saved Kurogane from having to share whatever it was that he was about to tell her. Stifling a sigh of disappointment she followed Kurogane inside the coffee shop where he purchased a large cup of chocolate for her.

She sipped at it quietly as the two made their way back across the street towards Kurogane's truck.

"This hot chocolate is really sweet," she commented as Kurogane sipped at his coffee, draining the cup as he unlocked the door for her.

"Is it good?" he asked crushing the paper cup and dumping it in the trash can a little ways away from them.

"Yeah," she nodded, licking the chocolate from the side of her mouth as she grinned at him, "you should try some too."

"I prefer coffee." He answered simply.

"How can you say that when you haven't even tried the chocolate?"

Kurogane gazed at her empty cup and raised a brow as he looked back at her. She had missed some chocolate on the corner of her mouth. Leaning closer, he looked in her eyes, "Maybe I should." He mused before letting his garnet-eyed gaze drop to her lips again. Closing the distance between them, he pressed his lips against hers.

When he broke off the kiss, he could taste the sweet chocolate flavor. "You're right." Smirking, he wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb get rid of the last bits of chocolate. "It _is_ sweet."

"Better than coffee?" she asked, a little breathless from the kiss they had just shared.

"Better than coffee," He confirmed with a rare grin.

-0-

The ride back to Sahil was pleasant, with the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky. The dust and fog had settled and everything looked fresh and revived. The silence between was comfortable, the radio playing softly in the background.

Sakura looked at him out of the corner of her eye, quickly looking back out her window. She blushed softly, remembering the song he had sung for her last night. Smiling softly, she closed her eyes, feeling content at having him by her side. For some reason, she felt like she was finally ready to move on.

She had loved Syaoran but they never found him. If he had been alive, he would have come back to her. It still hurt to think about his death but she knew it would go away with time. After all, time healed all wounds. And it seemed like that for once in her life, things were finally looking up.

Fai had promised her he wouldn't leave her alone. She was going to hold him to that. She opened her eyes when she felt the car move from the smooth highway to a smaller, less smooth road. Looking around, she noticed that Fai had driven the car on a dirt road.

"I still have one last gift that I want to give you," he reminded her with a goofy grin, driving the vehicle up a small hill. "Close your eyes, Sakura. I'll tell you when you can open them." Nodding, she obeyed his command. Once they reached the top, she felt him shift the gears and drive to the right, the road growing bumpier. After almost a minute, he stopped, switching off the engine. "Don't open them yet." He told her, opening the door to his side and climbing out of the car. She heard him unlock the door on her side and felt him take her hand. "Watch your step." He instructed, gently guiding her to the front of the car. "Wait right here."

"Fai?"

"Just a second!" he said and she heard him rummaging about in the car before his quiet footsteps approached her. A couple of seconds after she felt him move behind her, something cool touched her neck. "Okay, open them now." He whispered in her ear before stepping away.

Wondering what she would see, she obeyed, only to have her breath catch in her throat at the sight that met her eyes. Before her, stretching out for almost as far as her eyes could see were fields for flowers. She wasn't really sure what kind they were since as far as she knew even though it was early spring it was not yet time for flowers to bloom.

But she pushed that thought out of her mind as she enjoyed the sight.

"It's beautiful." She breathed.

"I thought you'd like it," he admitted with a sheepish grin.

Turning around, she threw her arms around him in hug, "thank you." She spoke into his chest, as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Thank you for everything."

"It was my pleasure, Sakura." He told her, gently hugging her back.

-0-

"Fai," Sakura said quietly as they drove down the streets of Sahil. "Thank you. For everything."

He slowed the car down and parked it on the side of the road, a few streets away from the orphanage. Cutting off the engine, he turned his head to look at her.

"You have no idea how much this means to me." She spoke softly, looking at her hands resting in her lap. "So thank you. I'm really glad that you became my friend. Everyone has always pushed me away so it's really hard to believe that there are people who like me for me and don't think I'm some sort of freak."

"You're not a freak Sakura." Fai shook his head, making her look up, "you're not a feak." He repeated earnestly, "you're special."

She didn't respond at first but slowly a small smile broke out on her lips, lighting up her green eyes like precious emerald gems. He captured her petite hand in his own, running his thumb over her knuckles as he smiled back, "You're smart, polite, kind and beautiful but you're not a freak. _Never_ a freak." Slowly, he moved closer to her, making Sakura back away till her back touched the door as he dropped her hand. Sakura lifted herself up a little bit but almost crashed her forehead into his face.

Chuckling softly, he lowered his face, resting his forehead against hers as he gaze into her eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her blush all over again.

"Can I kiss you?" his breath ghosted her lips as he spoke and Sakura felt her heart pound against her ribcage. The air seemed to grow hot as he patiently waited for her response. Her mouth seemed to dry up on its own she lost the ability to speak. Her senses grew numb as Sakura felt her eyes flutter close. All she could feel was his breath tickle her skin as his lips pressed against hers.

He pulled away a short while later as she felt the blood rush to her face.

"Did you know that you look like a cherry when you blush?" he chuckled softly before pressing his lips against hers again. Timidly Sakura kissed him back as he rested his hand against the back of her neck to pull her closer.

Just as she was about to lose herself in the kiss a lot of things happened in quick succession.

Something close by, blew up with a loud boom, Sakura's hand slipped from the seat and she hit the door with a dull thud and Fai landed painfully on top of her.

"What was that?" Sakura asked fearfully.

"Sounded like an explosion," Fai frowned, helping her sit up before sitting back in his seat as he looked out the window. Clouds of dark smoke rose high in the sky.

"F-Fai," Sakura whispered, her voice shaking in fear.

"The orphanage." Fai breathed as realization dawned on him. "Shit!" swearing a few other choice words, he turned on the ignition, speeding down the road in the direction of the flames. It was complete chaos by the time they got there.

"Stay with me, alright?" Fai instructed her, helping her out of the car before grabbing hold of her wrist and racing in the direction of the flaming building, outside which a crowd had started to gather. Paramedics and firefighters arrived a few minutes later. He saw Kurogane help an injured Sorata towards one of the stretchers that the paramedics had pulled out of the ambulance. He glanced in the direction of the flaming building and saw a flash of blond vanish behind it.

"Kurogane!" Fai called out to the red-eyed teen in an urgent tone as he pulled Sakura along with him towards the senior. "Look after Sakura, I'll be right back." Then without waiting for a response from either of them, he raced towards where he had seen the blond vanish. The wall of fire parted partially for him to pass but with everything else going on around him, no one noticed him go except for a certain red-eyed senior.

_**A/N: I did promise an unexpected shower of eels for you all, did I not? Here it is. I think we've had enough fluffiness for a while. Next time we'll be having some angst! And we'll be making a few shocking discoveries as well. So until then. Adieu my friends.**_

_**Oh and before I forget, let me know what was your favorite scene in this whole chapter. And which was cuter, the moment between Fai and Sakura or Kuro and Tomoyo?**_


	16. Chapter 16

"_Hand over the girls and we'll leave quietly." Freya advanced towards the orphanage's caretakers standing protectively in front of the young child._

"_Mokona, Maru and Moru are under our protection," the woman spoke defiantly, "Leave before I make you regret your decision to come here."_

"_There isn't much that you can do against us." She smirked, advancing towards the woman at a leisurely pace. "It would be smart of you to step aside." The woman's frown deepened as Freya changed her direction at the last minute, attacking the man who was trying to sneak up on her._

"_Sorata!" the woman cried in alarm as her husband hit the wall with a loud crack and slid to the ground in a motionless heap._

"_I won't repeat myself," Freya said in a dangerously soft voice, "step aside."_

She ignored the fire licking at her feet as she ran through the burning framework of the orphanage. She had to get away.

"_Make me," the woman hissed, her eyes narrowing in rage as an invisible energy seemed to gather in the air around her._

"_So you're one too, huh?" Freya let out an amused chuckle as she readied herself for the upcoming fight._

"_I don't like using my ability to harm others," the woman confessed softly. "But you leave me no choice, _Freya_."_

_To say she was shocked would have been an understatement. The energy surrounding the woman had taken on a pale purple hue, its smoky tendrils swirling around in the air, reaching out towards Freya. _

"_How do you know my name?" the blond questioned harshly._

With a final burst of strength, she turned her body intangible and phased through the fence surrounding the backyard of the orphanage. She landed roughly on all fours as she emerged on the other side.

"_I know a lot more about you," the woman smiled a strange smile and for some reason, fear began to sink its icy claws in the pit of her stomach. By the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late. The purple tendrils of that woman's power had already formed a firm hold on her body and when she tried to go insubstantial to let the haze pass through her, she discovered that her powers were rendered useless._

Her chest heaving as she drew in shaky breaths, she pushed herself into a standing position, her knees wobbling precariously as her mind continued replaying the events that had taken place not even an hour ago.

"_I know of your darkest desires." The woman said softly as she stepped closer to her. Feeling the iciness spread to her heart, Freya stepped back in fear. Or _tried_ to step back, those tendrils holding her frozen in her place. "Your deepest fears."_

"_You're lying." She laughed, trying to sound full of scorn but her voice sounded scared, even to her own ears._

"_Allow me to prove you wrong." The woman rested her hands on her cheeks, forcing Freya to lock eyes with her. "I can make them come alive."_

"Freya!" she heard someone call her name. The sound spurred her into action. Knowing that if he caught her here, she would have no strength to continue on, she ran, stumbling and tripping as she tore down the street.

_All of a sudden, she was plunged in a world of darkness before the light returned. But she was not standing in the orphanage anymore. No, she was hiding in the shadows of a darkened hallway, clutching tightly to a small bottle of water in her hands. A soft golden glow spilled out of the study where she could hear her father talking to some other man._

_It was quite late at night and she had been asleep in her room, upstairs. A sudden thirst had awoken her and she had been on way back from the kitchen when she had noticed the lights in her father's study. _

_Wondering why he would be up so late at night, she had quietly approached the room, stopping short when she heard voices inside. Someone else was in there with him. Ever since Fai had left, a few months ago, the house had been eerily quiet. Hearing someone else's voice in the house felt a little strange, but figuring that her father would not like it if he knew she was eavesdropping on him, Freya turned on her heels. _

She could hear him running after her.

"Wait!"

Cursing under her breath, she willed herself to run faster, blindly turning around a corner only to find herself in a blocked alley.

"_That nephew of yours might have gone into hiding again," the sound of that gravelly voice forced Freya to stop. She turned around and cautiously approached the door. They were talking about Fai in there. "But you still have your sister's clone with you."_

"_Freya is my daughter." She heard her father's voice._

"_Is she, Ashura?" she heard the other man laugh mockingly, "I remember it perfectly. Your wife died in childbirth, and your _son_ was a stillborn. You never had a daughter."_

Whirling on her heels, she made to run out before he got there but it was already too late.

"Freya." He was panting lightly, his hand resting against the alley wall as he looked at her.

_Freya pulled away from the door, eyes wide and her body trembling in shock._

"…"

"_I was there when it happened." The man's voice floated out into the hallway. "I was there when you took your sister's cells to make that clone. You went missing with your child after your wife's death… Or that is what you led everyone else to believe." Despite every fiber of her being telling her to move away and forget everything she heard, she remained standing there, listening to that unknown man as he spoke. "You were merely working on that, enhancing its genes to make it grow faster. I'm not really surprised to learn that despite all your expertise in that area, you decided to let her genes mutate in the same way as Chi's had."_

"Stay away from me, Fai." She warned, hoping that her quivering voice would not give away the truth.

"Freya," he repeated, ignoring her warning as he started walking towards her.

"_Don't you dare speak her name." her father snarled in anger._

"_Fine," the man laughed, "you can't deny the truth, though. That thing you call your daughter is not even human. I knew it all along. After all, you and that good-for-nothing brother of mine were the brains behind the G.E.P, but I digress. Getting back to the topic at hand," he said, "you really think that thing is your child?"_

"…" _hearing the man she had called her father for so long say nothing in return shattered the already broken fragments of her heart. _

"_I knew you to be an idealist, Ashura," the man was saying, "but I didn't think you could delude yourself like this. The love you give her is not really hers. She's just a replacement for someone you lost."_

"_You are right, Fei," Ashura finally spoke and whatever scrap of hope Freya had managed to gather in her heart in hopes of all this being a lie was immediately snuffed out. "My wife and son are dead. I cloned Freya from Chi-" Freya did not stick around to hear him say anything else, rushing up the stairs with tears pouring down her pale face._

_That man she had called a father all this time… he had created her as a replacement of his dead family. She wasn't his daughter… she wasn't even _human_. He agreed with that other man._

"Freya, those people you work for," Fai began as he stopped a couple of feet away from her. "They killed him… Uncle was murdered by those bastards."

"So?" she quirked a brow at him.

"Don't you care at all?" Fai questioned in disbelief. "He was your father."

"Father?" she laughed bitterly. "That man was_ not_ my father. I-I… I have no father, Fai."

"How can you say that?" Fai almost yelled at her. "That man gave up everything for our sakes. How can you just stand there, knowing that?"

"He never did anything for my sake." She whispered softly.

_He had just confirmed it. She was not human. That man never cared for her. She was someone else for him. She wasn't his daughter…_

"Freya," Fai spoke again, taking another step closer.

"Let me be, Fai." She hissed, her brown eyes narrowing as she glared at him, "I don't care for that man and I don't care for _you_."

"Then why haven't you told them till now?" he narrowed his own eyes in return.

"Just because I have not told them of your whereabouts till now," she replied apathetically, "don't start assuming that it's out of the goodness of my heart or something. If I could tell them, I would have done it ages ago."

"Then why haven't you?" he repeated his question.

"Because, _he_ forbade me. I can't reveal your location to anyone, even if my life depended on it." Fai's eyes widened in surprise at her admission. "It would be best for you if you just forget about me, Flourite." She spoke harshly, turning her back to him, though for some reason she could feel tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She heard him take a couple of steps towards her but thankfully he stopped before reaching her. For that, she was glad. She wasn't sure if she would be able to keep her façade of indifference up for much longer.

"I'm not sure what I did to deserve your hatred," he spoke quietly, "but rest assured Freya. I am _not_ someone who abandons his family. I'll see you around." She heard his footsteps recede slowly.

Only when she could not hear his quiet footfalls anymore, did she allow herself to fall on her knees, ragged sobs escaping her lips as the tears finally started to fall.

"I hate you…"

_I hate you…_

-0-

"It's a really good thing that Mr. Flourite here found Mrs. Arashi Aikawa in time but unfortunately," the officer told the small group standing in the hospital waiting room, "she suffered from a few second degree burns that require her to be hospitalized. Mr. Sorata was luckier in that manner, but due to his concussion, the doctors want to keep him overnight for observation."

"What about all the kids?" Kurogane asked, wondering how they would take care of the kids, especially the ones like that white-haired brat, Mokona. The organization was still trying to come after those. They could not be left with some ordinary substitute caretakers.

"The social services have arranged for their temporary placement in the Seiju Orphanage and Montague Memorial Orphanage. Miss Ichihara has been kind enough to offer to take care of some the children as well."

_Tch. Figures. I sure hope she's not planning on dumping them on me and Watanuki._

"What about Sakura?" Fai asked quietly, watching the girl who was sleeping on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. She had exhausted herself by crying over the two caretakers and had finally fallen asleep half an hour ago.

"Umm…" the officer looked a little uncomfortable as his gaze shifted to the auburn-haired girl. "The orphanages kept mum on the subject and Miss Ichihara didn't say anything. Do you boys know of any friends of hers with whom she might be able to stay for a while till we can arrange something for her?"

"She can stay with me." Fai offered before the red-eyed sophomore could say something. "In fact… she can move in with me permanently if she wants to." Seeing the officer quirk his brow at the offer, Fai grinned, "I'm her boyfriend."

"I see." The man nodded. "I will send someone over tomorrow to settle the matters then Mr. Flourite. I am sorry about your uncle by the way." He said as he took his leave.

Kurogane watched silently as the freshman's grin slipped of his face, a solemn look replacing it as he bowed his head.

"He died in an accident a few weeks back." Fai said softly, answering the unasked question as he moved towards the sleeping girl. "I think I'll take Sakura home now. She's really tired."

"Sorry to hear about that."

"We parted ways almost two years back." The blond replied with a casual shrug as he crouched next to the auburn haired freshman, "Sakura?" he said, gently shaking her shoulder gently. "Let's go home."

"I don't have one anymore," She mumbled quietly, refusing to meet his eyes. "They said the orphanage got burnt to the ground."

"Who said you were going to the orphanage?" Fai grinned as he took her face in his hand, making her look at him, "You're moving in with yours truly. Boyfriend extraordinaire, the amazingly incredible Fai D Flourite."

"W-What?" the girl gasped, her look the perfect picture of surprise.

"Yup," He nodded enthusiastically, pulling her to her feet. Turning to look at Kurogane he waved his one hand, the other lazily draped around Sakura's shoulders, "Alright then Kurgy, we'll see you on Monday."

Seeing the quick change in the blonde's demeanor, Kurogane wondered if he was bipolar but before the senior could respond in any manner, the blond was already directing his flustered, newly proclaimed girlfriend towards the exit.

Shaking his head, the red-eyed teen, followed the couple with his eyes till they turned round a corner and disappeared from his sight. Feeling his cell-phone buzz against his thigh, Kurogane suppressed a sigh. He should have known.

"What is it now, Witch?" he snapped, bringing the device to his ear. "No! I am not babysitting those brats for you."

"No. I will _not_ take three of them with me to my house."

"Those hooligans will trash everything."

"Damn it!"

"Fine… But I swear, I'm going to get you back for this."

"I'll come pick them up in fifteen minutes."

Grumbling under his breath, Kurogane pocketed the device and headed out of the hospital. Damn that witch. If he had a penny for every single time she held his family heirloom for ransom to make him comply, Kurogane would have been the richest man on earth.

Climbing behind the wheel of his pick up, Kurogane pulled out his cellphone once again. He was going to need some help handling those brats.

"Watanuki, the witch wants me to pick up three brats from her place." He spoke as soon as the boy answered his call. "I'm coming to get you."

-0-

Fai stopped the car outside his apartment building. As he opened his seatbelt, he glanced at the girl sleeping in the passenger seat.

She seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully, her eyes roaming beneath her closed lids as she dreamed. Smiling at her serene countenance, he moved his hand to reach for a stray lock of hair that fell over her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.

"I'm really sorry for what happened." He whispered quietly, thinking about all the things that had gone wrong in the girl's life. Keeping his hand there, he gently stroked her cheek, watching her as she mumbled something in her sleep and shifted closer to the warmth his hand offered.

"_Why are you helping me?"_

"_I have my reasons."_

"_Like taking me back to that bastard _yourself_?"_

"_If I wanted to do that, you wouldn't have been able to resist, even if you wanted to."_

"_What do you want?"_

"_I want to strike a deal."_

"_What sort of deal?"_

"_I want you to look after someone for me."_

"And I'm sorry for what is, no doubt, to come." Sighing he dropped his hand and leaned his head back tiredly on the seat gazing outside the window at the overcast evening sky. Closing his eyes he pushed that memory to the back of his mind, forcing himself to try and forget that pair of lazily smirking amber orbs. A fresher memory rose to the foreground of his mind in its place as he succeeded.

"_Don't you care at all?" Fai questioned in disbelief. "He was your father."_

"_Father?" she laughed bitterly. "That man was_not_ my father. I-I… I have no father, Fai."_

"I wonder when she found out about _that_." He mumbled, hearing the clouds rumble in the distance, heralding the onslaught of another thunderstorm, "I'm sure Ashura wouldn't have told her about it himself so then who…" he trailed off as a couple of alternative sources came in his mind. "Ichihara would have had nothing to gain from telling her…" he shook his head, "So I suppose it was that bastard after all."

"_Just because I have not told them of your whereabouts till now, don't start assuming that I'm doing it because I care for you. If I could tell them, I would have done it ages ago."_

"_Then why haven't you?"_

"_Because, _he_ forbade me. I can't reveal your location to anyone, even if my life depended on it. It would be best for you if you just forget about me, Flourite."_

As he remembered Freya mentioning him, his own conversation with that person rang in his ears.

"_What will I get out of looking out for this person?"_

"_Your freedom."_

Bright purple streak of lightning streaked across the sky, breaking Fai out of his reverie. Shaking the thoughts away, he straightened up, deciding to forget about all that for now and take Sakura inside before it actually started raining.

"Hey," He gently shook the girl's shoulder. Fai quickly suppressed the small twinge of guilt as she opened her eyes and looked at him, nothing but trust evident in her gaze. Smiling gently at her he said, "We're here."

-0-

"So what exactly can these three do again?" Kurogane grunted as drove out the gate of his slave-driving principal's home.

"Mokona is a _jumper."_ Watanuki responded after meditating for a short while.

"You mean she can hop all over the place?" the Japanese teen quirked a brow, trying his best to ignore the noise currently generating from the backseat. He guessed the brats to be around seven years old, give or take a year or so.

"She can teleport." His part-time partner shook his head, closing his as a look of concentration passed over his features once more. "Maru is a _deflector_ of sorts. She can turn around the powers of any meta back to them."

"In other words she can reflect attacks." Kurogane nodded, stopping the vehicle at the signal. "What about her sister? That girl can't speak, right?"

"I'm not really sure what name would be given to her," Watanuki replied, frowning lightly as he observed the silent girl through the rearview mirror, "but she can put her thoughts in the minds of others. She doesn't have the power to make anyone obey them though, unlike..."

"The kid had to give verbal commands, Watanuki." The red-eyed teen sighed.

"I remember," the bespectacled boy replied, resting his elbow against the window as he turned his head to gaze outside. The sky was overcast. It would rain pretty soon. "How long does she plan on keeping Kinomoto in the dark about this? I mean, I can understand the fact that she had amnesia, but why doesn't Yuuko want her to remember what she is capable of?"

"Beats me."

"Wouldn't she be safer if she knew about the bastards that are after her?"

"_Don't mention tonight's events in front of Sakura since she won't remember any of it."_

"_Won't remember anything?" he repeated questioningly. "Why?"_

"_That is the price for her freedom." _

"The Witch probably has her reasons from keeping the truth from Kinomoto." Kurogane answered after a while, remembering his talk in her office after that one time he had been attacked by that blue-eyed telekinetic and his silver-haired partner. "We're here." He grunted, turning into the driveway of a two-story house with a well trimmed front lawn and quite an ancient looking Japanese Sakura tree in the backyard.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: I know you guys have been waiting for an update for a long time but I'm really sorry for the wait and all. My excuse is the usual. I really can't find time to write anymore so instead of coming after me with flaming pitchforks and pointy torches, (yes! Pointy **_**torches!)**_** You all better be grateful that I managed to finish this thing. **_

_**Anyhow, I tried adding humor to this thing but as usual I failed epically to keep the mood completely light but I hope the mushy fluff might make up for that. ^_^;**_

_**NOTE: This is a partially edited chapter so excuse any grammatical errors you may find here. I'll replace this with the complete proofread chapter later on when my Beta sends it to me.**_

_**Anyhow, Enjoy!**_

The morning light filtered through the curtains, waking up the brunette snuggled underneath the cerulean and navy patchwork quilt. Mumbling incoherently, she turned on her side, not opening her eyes as she buried her head into the pillows, trying to return to the land of slumber. Unfortunately for her, loud, blaring music rang through the room, making her shoot up in bed, jade eyes wide as their owner searched frantically around the room for the source of the noise.

_Just open your eyes_

_Just open your eyes _

_And see that life is beautiful…_

Sakura tumbled out of the bed in her haste, spotting the stereo system right where it had been the last time she had woken up in this room.

_Will you swear on your life,_

_That no one will cry at my funeral?_

Having managed to untangle herself from the sheets, she scrabbled across the floor. Stumbling on the snow white rug that Fai had spread before the bed, she slammed her hand down on the button. As the music shut off, she looked over her shoulder at the door that led to the room she was in, wondering if Fai had woken up due to the racket. She heaved a sigh of relief when she heard no sound beyond the door.

As quietly as she could, Sakura made her way to the bathroom, splashing the lukewarm water across her face before staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was back in Fai's flat, this time thanks to another accident, one more permanent in its after effects than the last one.

She had not only managed to have the orphanage burn to the ground, she had also succeeded in landing Arashi and Sorata in the hospital. When would this streak of bad luck end for her?

Looking away from the green orbs staring right into her soul, Sakura shut off the water, drying her hands on the fluffy towel before tiptoeing across the hallway to the kitchen.

Fai had been so kind to her, offering her a place to stay when she had nowhere to go. Going so far so as to even pretend to be her boyfriend just so the officers would not ask too many questions, he knew she would not be able to find a place in the other two orphanages present in the city for two reasons. One was that she was already sixteen, going on seventeen and the other being that she was Sakura Kinomoto, the harbinger of bad luck.

And he had been a true gentleman about the whole deal, offering her his room for perusal as he insisted on taking the couch in the other room that served as his living room. And that was where the blond was currently sleeping, facedown, a pair of blankets piled on top of his form. She suppressed a sudden shiver as she stepped into the kitchen, her bare feet barely making a sound against the cold tiles. Looking around with a determined look on her face, she set to work.

She was going to thank Fai by doing something for him for once.

She was… She was going to make him breakfast!

-0-

Grumbling under his breath about how uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa had been for him, Kurogane slipped into his bedroom and padded across the room to reach his bathroom. The annoying brats as he had dubbed them were all snuggled up under _his_ covers in _his_ bed while he had to deal with stiff muscles.

He cursed his employer to hell and back as he brushed his teeth, thinking back on his latest assignment. That accursed witch had woken him up not ten minutes ago with a call on his cell reminding him of the _research_ work he was supposed to be doing over the weekend.

She could have gotten Watanuki to do that but no, she just had to call him up for it. As if dumping the demon triplets on him was not enough. Who cared if one of them was not related to the other two brats, the three of them were evil little demons who had already cast their controlling spells on his mother and that annoying and sometimes idiotic cousin of his.

Oh well, if he was going to be slaving away for that witch of a slave driver principal of his, he was going to be doing it _after_ he got himself a nice slice of pie and maybe some hot chocolate from that café in town. That place had the best pie of all and after yesterday, he had actually started liking the bittersweet taste of chocolate. The fact that a certain amethyst eyed girl worked there had nothing to do with his choice of a breakfast place.

He just liked the pie. And the hot chocolate. Creamy, warm chocolate that just melted right in your mouth. Anyone who had tasted it like he had would be an crazy not to love chocolate afterwards. A silly grin formed across his lips as slipped into his jacket and the memory of his previous morning drifted across his thoughts.

Nope. His choice of breakfast place had nothing to do with Tomoyo at all.

-0-

_He looked around him, wondering where in the world he was. Nothing but pure white surrounded him like a smoky fog that shifted in thick swirls every time he moved but it settled back in place just as quickly, making it impossible for him to make out anything._

_A small, barely audible voice whispered in his ear, making him whirl around, blue eyes wide as he tried to find the source of that voice. He spun around, almost losing his balance in his haste as the whisper sounded from behind him once more._

"_Hello?" he called out cautiously, taking a small step in the direction he thought the voice had originated from._

_The wind whispered in his ear again, beckoning him, calling him, but he could not make out the words it spoke. He could sense the urgency in its tone though._

_He strained, concentrating on the near silent whispers as the words repeated themselves over and over again. The smoke swirled around him, shifting on a non-existent wind as the voice grew clearer, his frown shifting to a look of fear and disbelief as he finally managed to make out the message it carried._

_**Keep her safe…**_

A shriek followed by the loud clatter of something falling woke him up. Heart racing, Fai jumped to his feet, a little disorientated as he struggled to remember where he was. Something cracked loudly in the kitchen and Fai finally remembered why he had been sleeping on the sofa. Another crack followed by a whooshing sound made him spring into action, tearing across the living room towards the kitchen where he now suspected Sakura to be.

Fai did not know whether to cry in relief or laugh his head off at the sight that met his eye. Sakura was on the floor, covered in a yellowish mixture of some sort, with a white powdery substance caking her skin and dusting her hair to a pasty-ish brown. The kitchen was covered in blobs of the yellow paste, heaps of the white powder, which he suspected to be flour, covering the countertop, the floor and the stove. The smell of something burning reached his nose and he noticed the toaster giving off a black acrid smoke.

Sakura was looking at him with wide, horrified, tear-filled eyes, not moving from her position on the floor as the pan on the stove caught fire with another loud pop, spurring the blond to act. Swiftly, grabbing a cover from the counter buried under a ton of flour, Fai put it on top of the pan. He shut the stove off at the same time as a subconscious part of his mind killed the flames inside the pan. Next he switched off the toaster, avoiding the smoke as he pushed the window open. Ignoring the rest of the mess, he made his way to Sakura, crouching next to her. She stared at him with a bewildered expression on her face, frozen like a statue on the floor.

"Sakura, are you okay?" he asked, getting worried about her lack of reaction. Was she hurt? Had she gotten burnt somehow? Sakura failed to verbally respond, her jade eyes moving towards the still smoking toaster behind Fai before moving to the stove. Slowly, she looked back at him, breathing raggedly.

"Sakura?" he extended a hand towards her, worried that she might have gotten seriously hurt. Still moving in a stupor, she looked at his hand, her gaze shifting back to his face as her shoulders shook. Sobs spilled from her small frame as the saltine water made clear tracks down her powdered face.

"I-I'm sorry," she wailed, refusing to move from her spot on the floor.

Relief flooded his body as he realized that she wasn't hurt. She was merely scared.

"It's okay," he shook his head, taking her into his arms, not caring about the goop that was now dirtying his clothes as well as he hugged her. "Sshh… It's alright, Sakura." He said, rubbing her back in small circular motions as he remembered his uncle doing for him when he used to wake up in the middle of the night due to his nightmares.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, her body limp in his arms. He held her for a long time, crouched next to her, rubbing her back as she cried.

"Let's get out of the kitchen, okay?" he said gently, helping her stand up when her tears had stopped falling. He led her to the bathroom, sitting her down on the toilet with its lid closed. Turning on the tap, he adjusted the water temperature till it was comfortably warm. Next he rummaged through the small closet above the sink and retrieved a hand towel, wetting it slightly before handing it to Sakura with a kind smile. "Here."

Sniffling, Sakura, took the proffered towel, using it to clean her face as Fai washed his hands and then tried to clean his t-shirt, in the end giving it up as a lost cause. Taking it off, Fai threw it in the hamper, before making his way to his way to his room. Re-entering the bathroom, still clad in nothing but the loose pants that he had slept in, Fai placed a fresh pair of jeans and a white t-shirt on the small counter next to the shower stall.

"Take a shower and wash up, alright?" he said to Sakura, meeting her eyes with a comforting smile, "I'll clean the kitchen."

Then he turned around, shutting the door behind him, leaving Sakura alone. Shakily, the brunette climbed to her feet, locking the door before ridding herself of the soiled clothes and stepping into the shower.

Fai was just finishing up with wiping the counters as Sakura entered the kitchen.

"I made some omelet, I hope you like tomatoes." He grinned, pointing to a plate next to the now clean stove. Resting on the plate was a nice fluffy omelet, cut in two equal parts, chunks of mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages, chilies and onions visible in the yellow. A second plate had several slices of golden brown bread. "Could you take these to the table?" he asked, placing the cloth he had used to wipe counters under a spray of water, washing his hands.

A short while later, the blond emerged, carrying a jug of orange juice and a couple of glasses. Setting them down in front of Sakura, he settled next to her on the sofa, having picked up his blankets while she had been in the shower.

"Dig in." he said with gusto, handing her a plate before filling up the glasses with the juice. Placing a piece of omelet and a couple of slices on of bread on his own plate, Fai started eating. Or rather, he almost did. Next to him, Sakura was silently staring at the plate in her hands, her expression melancholic.

"Hey," he asked softly, resting his hand on her shoulder, "what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Fai," she whispered, lowering her head to avoid his concerned gaze.

"What for?"

"I nearly set your flat on fire too." She answered, shrinking in on herself.

"It wasn't your fault. Accidents can happen with anyone."

"No," she shook her head, "accidents always happen around _me._ First the orphanage, and now your kitchen. I'm… I'm bad luck."

"Bad luck?" he repeated incredulously. "Sakura, the way I see it, your luck is extremely _good_."

Her head shot up in surprised disbelief. "What?" No one had ever associated that word with her. Ever.

"Accidents always happen _around_ you, Sakura." He said seriously, "But no matter how bad something might be, you never get harmed. A couple scrapes or bruises, sure. But those go away in a couple of weeks, right? That's more than what I can say for most people." She still looked unconvinced.

"But everyone… I-I…" she started, numerous emotions flickering across her eyes as she stared at Fai, searching his face. The blond met her gaze unflinchingly, nothing but sincerity in his expression. "You're not bad luck." He said earnestly, "Those idiots just fail to realize how special you are."

"_You're not bad luck, Sakura. Those dumbasses just can't realize how amazing you are."_

Accepting what she saw, she allowed a ghost of a smile to flit across her lip.

"Thank you." She whispered softly.

"No problem. Don't let others tell you any different." he smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to hug her. "Besides, what sort of crappy boyfriend would I be if I failed to see even that?"

"Boyfriend…You really meant that?" she asked in wonder, her eyes once again searching his relentlessly, as though the thought of something like that occurring was utterly bizarre and incomprehensible.

"Of course I mean it." He replied, his smile replaced by a puzzled expression. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I thought…" she trailed off, finally turning her head away, lowering her eyes to stare at her clasped hands.

"Sakura," he took her hand in his, twining his long fingers with her delicate ones, "I meant every single word. I didn't say it just to make an excuse. I could have gotten the police to let you stay with me without having the need to make excuses."

"…"

"I know it was sudden and it had probably been pretty idiotic and inconsiderate of me to announce something like that without asking for your permission first," Fai said as he placed the plate containing his untouched breakfast on the table before climbing off the sofa and on his knees before Sakura, "I'm sorry I didn't really take your feelings into account earlier on." He paused, waiting for her to give him some sort of indication to continue but when the girl refused to meet his gaze, he sighed softly.

"Sakura, please, look at me," he caught her chin in his thumb and forefinger, lifting her face so that she was looking at him, "the announcement was pretty sudden but I hope you won't mind staying here with me. I don't like losing sight of you so often. Honestly speaking, it scares me."

Sakura's demeanor relaxed as her eyes brightened relatively. Seeing this, a soft smile made its way on Fai's lips as he leaned towards her.

"They say actions speak louder than words," he breathed against her lips, staring into her endless pools of emerald, "this is what I want to say to you." And with those words, he closed the distance between them. Sakura felt a warm tingle settle in the pit of her stomach, a spark of electricity shooting down her spine the minute his lips made contact and she couldn't help but close her eyes, leaning towards him as she kissed him back. She felt his hand caress her cheek and another pleasant jolt of energy shot through her body.

"So should I take it as a yes then?" Fai asked in a whisper as he pulled away to look at her.

"You tell me." She grinned widely, feeling lighter than she had felt in ages as she pounced on him to hug him tightly. She was on top of the world and nothing would bring her down.

"So what were you doing in the kitchen anyway?" he asked after a while, as the two settled back on the sofa to resume their breakfast.

"Making pancakes." She mumbled softly, feeling the heat creep along her cheeks in embarrassment.

"What happened?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"I tried cooking the batter but it somehow exploded." She replied, biting the inside of her cheek feeling the blush darken.

"And what was in the pan?" The blond queried.

"…" she mumbled so quietly in response that Fai, despite sitting right next to her, had trouble understanding her.

"What?" he questioned, handing her the loaded plate before beginning to pile some omelet on the spare plate.

"Water." She groaned in mortification, turning completely red.

"Wait a minute." Fai froze, looking at her in disbelief. "You managed to set _water_ on fire?"

-0-

Tomoyo looked up from the cash register as the bell jingled at the entrance signaling the arrival of another customer for that morning. Her face split into a grin upon seeing the person that entered, her eyes widening at the sight of his companions.

"Kurogane!" she exclaimed happily, hurrying out from behind the counter to greet the crimson-eyed teen. "Oh my God!" she squealed, her eyes shining in delight at the sight of the three girls bouncing in behind him. "They're so _adorable_!"

"It's good to see you too." he grumbled, feeling a bit put off by the fact that the demon brats had managed to snare her attention in less than five seconds.

Cheerfully cooing over the demon brats from hell, she led them to a table, noticing the bundle of tied newspapers Kurogane had tucked under his right arm. "What are those for?"

"School project." He responded following her as he tried not to let a sullen expression settle on his when she turned her attention away from him not a second later. Sitting down on the chair at the table farthest from the entrance, he settled his package by his feet.

"So," Tomoyo asked, pulling out a writing pad from the pocket of her uniform, "what will you four be having today?"

"Four cups of hot chocolate and four slices of your pie." He replied, waiting for her to note it all down.

"What?" she asked with a teasing grin as she pocketed their order and capped the pen she was using to write. "No coffee today?"

"I guess I like chocolate better now." He responded, unable to keep a smirk from forming on his lips as she colored slightly.

"That's good to know," she smiled sweetly, quickly averting her gaze before turning on her heels as she walked towards the door that probably led to the café's kitchen. "I'll be back with your food in a few minutes.

"Is she your girlfriend?" the white haired brat, Mokona, asked the minute Tomoyo was out of earshot.

"What?" Kurogane almost yelped before regaining his composure. "No." he said gruffly, reaching for the newspaper bundle in hopes that his curt response would be enough to dissuade further questions.

"She's pretty," one of the twins piped up all of a sudden while the mute nodded her head in an enthusiastic manner. "Moru says that she bets you wished she was your girlfriend." She continued while mute girl, Moru merely pushed her fists in her mouth to stop her violent giggle.

Kurogane pretended not to hear her in hopes of keeping a cool air as Tomoyo reemerged from the kitchen and waved in their direction.

"Mokona bets that's why he brought us here in the first place." The white haired brat piped up in a surprisingly sly tone that disturbingly enough reminded him of a certain wine-eyes slave driver. She shared a grin with the twins before Maru started in a sing song voice loud enough onl for the four of them to hear.

"~Tomoyo and Kuro, sitting in a tree…" Moru doubled over in silent laughter at that as Mokona joined in. "K.I.S.S.I.N.G! "Growling like an angry dog, Kurogane opened his mouth to retort but stopped before even the first word left his lips as he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. His earlier attempt to hastily pick out any piece of newspaper had partially toppled the pile and there, sitting somewhere halfway down the teetering bundle was a newspaper with an article that had snagged his attention. Eyes narrowing in confusion and slight bewilderment, Kurogane reached out and picked it up, ignoring the chanting girl sitting opposite to him. Frowning slightly, he squinted at the photograph displayed under a small article before letting his eyes scan the headline and lightly skim over the contents of the paragraph under it.

"Here you go," Tomoyo bright tone startled him a bit but he managed to smile at the raven-head anyhow, momentarily forgetting about the article in his hand. "Fresh out of the oven, enjoy Tomoyo's special." She winked at him discreetly as she set his order before him.

"Miss Tomoyo, can I ask you a question?" Maru said innocently though the strange gleam in her eyes had warning bells ringing inside Kurogane's head.

"Of course sweetie." The lavender eyed girl responded sweetly as she ruffled the younger girl's hair.

"Kurogane didn't really tell us anything when we asked him," the seven year old pouted slightly, "but we were wondering if you-"

"-if you would like to come to the park with us after breakfast." Kurogane interrupted hastily, saying the first thing that came to his mind. He knew what that brat had been about to ask Tomoyo. But crap! He had just asked her out… sort of. Well, he had been thinking about her the whole night but he didn't mean to ask her out like this. Unintentional as it may have been, he needed to do something quick. "But I told them no, since you're busy with work and all and I don't think you're boss would let you off so early."

"Oh, I'd love to come." She grinned, clasping her hands in delight. "My boss won't mind since it's not that busy and I'm sure Kamui and Subaru can handle stuff in my absence. Plus, Chunhyang is back as well so it no problem at all."

"Great." Kurogane felt a slightly idiotic grin form on his lips. On the other side of the table, the three brats giggled.

"I'll get him to let me go in half an hour, kay?" Tomoyo told them.

"Sure."

"We can wait." Mokona chirped.

"Moru says your pie is great," Maru spoke up after swallowing a piece of her pie.

"Thanks." The raven-head beamed.

Turning his attention away from the four females, Kurogane concentrated on the paper he had in his hand. Why had he failed to see this connection before? Kurogane had always prided in his ability to draw connections between things. He should have figured it out sooner. He _had_ disappeared around the same time as his death. Sure they looked nothing alike but still… the surnames! Why hadn't he paid any mind to them? They were a dead giveaway to his origins.

_**Private funeral for Lord Ashura Flourite held yesterday afternoon.**_

So what if the paper was almost three weeks old. The picture plastered underneath that heading had been enough to cement his belief. Though, to think he never might have actually thought of it in the first had he not seen this, Kurogane's frown deepened as he took a sip from his cup before downing the whole thing in a single gulp.

There, standing in the pouring rain, with his blond hair plastered to his pale forehead, looking far more serious than he had ever seen him in all the time Kurogane had known him, stood Fai D Flourite, staring resolutely into space with a cold steely look in his eyes. He had seen that look before… It was a look that had adorned his own face when he had first accepted the job Yuuko had offered him. It was a look that promised vengeance and pain and so much more.

Kurogane of course, had been vaguely briefed about the whole Ashura fiasco by Yuuko the week it had actually happened so he had known about it not being a natural death. Apparently, so had Fai.

Remembering the report he had received from one of his sources placed in that city and the strange injuries the blond had sustained when he had come back with an idiotic grin from his weeklong disappearance Kurogane realized that there a lot much more to the apparently happy-go-lucky blue-eyed teen.

"…we go now."

"Huh? Oh. Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said I told Kamui and Subaru that I was taking a break so we can go now." Tomoyo responded.

"Alright," he nodded, climbing to his face, "Though, you guys have any place where I can put these papers till we get back?"

"I guess we can leave them in the locker room." The lavender-eyed teen suggested as Kurogane retrieved the rest of the bundle.

"None of you brats leave this spot, understood?" Kurogane threw over his shoulder as he followed the girl between the tables.

What happened next, happened so fast, Kurogane barely had time to react. A loud boom followed by the sounds of shattering glass and frightened screams made Kurogane dropped the newspapers as he whirled around. The three orphans seemed unharmed but not all wounds are ever visible at a first glance.

A choked gasp behind him, froze Kurogane in his steps as he hesitantly turned around, only to find his blood running cold. Tomoyo lay in a motionless heap on the floor as crimson blossomed out beneath her. Her lithe frame was half buried under a piece of the wall that had just been blasted apart.

"Fuck!" he cursed, hurrying back to towards the injured object of his affections as a distant part of his mind screamed in the background._ Why the heck did those idiots always have to smash things to make dramatic entrances?_

"Brats, get over here!" he yelled and only a second later, all hell broke loose.

_**A/N: It was kim-onka's review that made me realize that even though Fai had declared himself to be her boyfriend, he had never officially asked her. So I decided to do something about that. .**_

_**I hope no one was too OOC in this chapter. If they were, I blame my University for that! Merciless slave drivers the lot of them. .**_

_**I left you all hanging on another cliffie but I just can't help it. Take a guess at who the attackers are this time. And Tomoyo is injured rather badly. Wonder what Kuro will do now that he has three 'demon brats from hell' to protect on top of the girl he really likes.**_

_**I know I probably asked this in the last chapter or maybe the chapter before that, but who do you think is the Kawai-est couple in this fic. Your options are:**_

_**Tomoyo and Kuro**_

_**Sakura and Fai**_

_**Sakura and Syaoran**_

_**You can leave your response in a review or visit my profile page where I'll be putting up a poll pretty soon.**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: So I finally managed to finish this chapter last night. And I got my beta to look it over and send it back in just a day. She's awesome like that. Well, not as awesome as me but still pretty awesome, don't you all agree? *shot* Anyhow… without further ado, go ahead and enjoy!**_

Kurogane wasn't sure how they got there so fast. He was sure those two had been in the kitchen all the way on the other side of the counter, but they were there, right in front of him as soon as he finished yelling at the brats to get their asses over to him.

"Get that off of her." Kamui ordered in a tone that held no room for argument as he took up a strange-looking fighting stance in front of him. "Subaru and I will deal with the attackers." Then, in a flash, he was gone. Kurogane could only gape at the space where the other teen had been moments before until he heard a shrill cry and tore his eyes away from the empty space only to find himself looking at Subaru placing Mokona back on her feet in front of him. "Get that off of Tomoyo before it crushes her!" He spoke urgently, mirroring his brother' words, "I'll bring the other two." Then, like Kamui, he was gone.

"Kuro… she's bleeding." Mokona said in a small voice, as she fiddled with the edge of her dress. Snapping into action, Kurogane strode forward, hastily grabbing the edges of the heavy piece of rubble that was crushing Tomoyo's back and lower body. With a small grunt, he lifted it up and threw it away like it was nothing. "Kurogane!"Mokona cried out in alarm, making the red-eyed teen curse for having taken his attention off of the little squirt.

"Kurogane, hmm?" The blue-eyed man that currently had his hand wrapped around the little orphan's upper arm smirked in his direction. Pieces of rubble rose up from the ground behind the man and suddenly flung themselves in his direction.

"Fuck!" Cursing, Kurogane frantically looked around for something to block the incoming volley with. He was afraid to move Tomoyo for the fear of leaving her unprotected. That would do her more harm than good.

Seeing as she was right behind him, he knew he could never dodge the rubble hurtling towards him. It would hit Tomoyo and that might end up killing her. But standing around like a sitting duck would not do. Gritting his teeth, Kurogane crouched low before springing up with an infuriated cry. He couldn't let those bastards get away with the brats _he_ was supposed to be watching. And he had to protect Tomoyo as well now. A cloud of dust exploded as his fist met the first piece of rubble and then another. Kurogane spun out under one particular rock, kicking it away as it passed him by.

"Let me go!"Mokona screamed again as the grey-eyed man who was always this bastard's partner showed up behind the telepath and touched his shoulder.

"No!" Cursing violently, Kurogane pushed on. He was _not_ letting them take that annoying brat away like this. But as the silvery tendrils of the hopper's power began to envelop the three, Kurogane knew he wouldn't make it in time. That is, until out of nowhere, Kamui appeared right next to Mokona. Faster than eyes could follow, he had the little girl in his arms and the next second he was gone. Kurogane could see the looks of displeasure on their attackers' faces, but from the grim set of the telepath's jaws just a second before he vanished along with his partner, Kurogane knew that they were done for the day.

"Damn, I think Sonomi will have our heads for this one." He heard Subaru's voice from behind him.

"Especially when she wasn't even the intended target." Kamui's equally grim tone had Kurogane spinning on his heels. If those two kept on appearing and disappearing like that, Kurogane was going to have a massive headache at the end of the day from all the spinning around he was doing.

"We need to call an ambulance." Kurogane said as he pulled out his cellphone. Just as he flipped it open to dial the number, he found his hand surprisingly empty of the silver device.

"Trust me, we don't need an ambulance here." Subaru said softly, snapping the device shut before pocketing it.

"What the fuck do you mean 'we don't need an ambulance?'Tomoyo's fucking bleeding to death, you bastards!"

"No, she's not." Kamui said as he let go of Mokona's hand and moved forward to scoop the unconscious amethyst-eyed teen into his arms. Looking over at his brother, he gave a short nod before making to move out of the shop through the gaping hole where the window used to be.

"Now wait just one, bloody second here. Where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"We're taking Miss Daidouji back to her home." Subaru answered for his brother as he made to follow him outside. Quickly grabbing the three girls huddled up right where Kamui had left Mokona not a couple of seconds ago, Kurogane followed after them.

"What the heck is going on here? Why have I never really seen or heard about you two before? And you shouldn't be moving her." He added as he noticed the way Tomoyo's head lolled about her shoulders in Kamui's arms. "You could damage her spine."

"Don't worry about Miss Daidouji, she's a very fast healer." Subaru answered when Kamui refused to respond to the teen following after them with three seven year olds flung across his shoulders and tucked under his arms.

"I want you to fucking explain to me what exactly is going on, right this instant, or so help me I'll…"

"You'll what? Crush us with that inhuman strength of yours?" Kamui snorted in disdain as he looked at Kurogane over his shoulder. "I'd love to see you try."

"Kamui." Subaru warned quietly.

"Fine, you tell him then." He huffed in annoyance.

"It'll be best if we got Miss Daidouji back to the Estate first. We can explain everything to you once we've finished briefing Ms. Sonomi, that's Tomoyo's mother, about everything that happened."

Feeling confused by this unexpected turn of events, Kurogane let the two brothers lead him through the town as the sun shone brightly over his head, like a brilliant disc of molten gold contrasting greatly with the clear blue sky.

-0-

"Fai," It was late in the afternoon and the two of them were just lazing about in Fai's living room. "Do you think we could go see Sorata and Arashi at the hospital today?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure. When do you want to go?" He smiled at her softly, playing gently with a strand of her auburn hair as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Would they let us in now?"

"I don't see why not." He smiled gently. "We can leave after you freshen up."

Sakura flashed him a brilliant smile as she hopped to her feet, rushing to the bathroom to clean up. The clothes he had lent her appeared slightly baggy on her lithe frame but still looked good on her. Hearing the sound of water running behind the closed door, Fai eyed his cell phone. Casting another glance in the direction Sakura had just disappeared Fai grabbed it off the coffee table, flipping it open before scrolling down to a particular number in his phonebook. Hitting the green button he pressed it against his ear.

"Hey, listen. I need a small favor…"

-0-

Kurogane resisted the urge to fidget under the woman's stare. There was something about the way she was observing him, her eyes refusing to leave his face ever since she had occupied the sofa opposite to him. The demon brats were somewhere in the house with the two speedsters. Sonomi Daidouji was an impressive woman with a rather stern, businesslike air about her. She reminded him in so many ways of the witch that ran his high school, but where Yuuko's regality had a touch of mystery to it on those rare occasions when she chose to actually become serious, this woman was… not exactly intimidating but-

"So you are the boy my daughter has taken an interest in." She finally spoke, "Kurogane Suwa. Born to Hoshikage and Amaya Suwa in a small estate in Japan. They moved here shortly after your birth so you never really got to spend any time in your home country. Father died shortly after your seventh birthday, leaving you to live with your mother and younger cousin Souma Ryoujin. You currently work part-time for the principal of your school, Yuuko Ichihara, to repay a debt you owe her. Am I correct?"

"What the…how… how do you know all that?" Kurogane spluttered, shooting to his feet, feeling a little unnerved by the way the woman had stated it all. While the rest of the information she could have gotten from a little bit of snooping around, the fact that he worked part-time for Yuuko wasn't common knowledge. How had this woman found out?

"Please, you think I wouldn't check on what type of boy my daughter is interested in?" she scoffed, picking up a check book he had only just noticed she had brought with her. "My daughter is in a rebellious phase of her life, boy. Running off to work in that pathetic little establishment when she already has everything she needs. I'll give it a few more months before she comes back to her senses and quits. So how much will it be?" she said, uncapping the sleek, black pen before poising it over the open notebook.

"Huh?" He grunted intelligently, getting a bad feeling about the way she looked at him. He did not like the direction this woman was heading in.

"How much money?" She asked, looking him up and down through rather cold, amethyst eyes. "My daughter is the heir to the Daidouji fortune. That's why you started hanging around her, didn't you? You're after money to repay the debt you owe Ichihara. I'll make it easier for you. Just name it. How much will it take for you to leave her alone? Fifty thousand? A million? You can't owe that woman any more than that. I'll sign you a check right now. Just name your price."

"Lady, I don't know who the heck you think you are, or where you got your information about me from." He glowered at the woman, "You might know about where I live and what I do, but you still don't know shit about me." He growled as she finally managed to school her expression from shock into a rather intimidating glower that might have worked had he been somebody else. "I did not come here to be insulted by you. I may be working for Ichihara, but I'm not one to stoop to such low levels to repay my debts. I don't need your money for that, and I don't care that Tomoyo is the heir to some big-ass fortune. The only reason I started hanging around her is because I _like _your daughter and I came here with those two speedsters because I was worried about _her_. I don't need you to shove your money down my throat. I may not be as rich as you, but I am no beggar and I sure as hell am not one to be bought."

"You think your little speech is going to impress me?" She laughed harshly, though Kurogane could detect a touch of hysteria in her voice. "Every street rat has a price. I won't let you play with her heart. There is no way someone like you could genuinely care for her."

"I'm not about to stand here and let you insult me." He spoke in a controlled voice. "Maybe you had a bit of bad luck when it came to her father. But I'm not some bastard that runs after wealth. I was raised better than that." Although he had just shot off that comment about Tomoyo's father off the top of his head, it seemed to have a touched a nerve with the woman. Ignoring the effect that his words had on the woman though, he turned his back towards the woman, Picking up the jacket he had draped across the back of the sofa earlier as he moved. "Keep your money. I'll leave your daughter alone if she asks me to."

"W-wait…" a weak voice called after him just as he was about to rush out of the mahogany doors of the sitting room. A dull thump and Mrs. Daidouji's alarmed cry of 'Tomoyo!' had him whirling around.

"Kurogane…Wait!" Tomoyo repeated, completely ignoring her mother who had rushed to her side. The raven-head girl was slumped sideways against the partially open doorway, her silky tresses pooling on the floor around her like a waterfall of obsidian silk. In a heartbeat, Kurogane was right next to her.

"You idiot! What the heck are you doing out of bed?" he barked, gathering her in his arms. By the time he had arrived at the Daidouji estate, Kurogane had managed to piece together what little information he had about the girl and what little he had gleaned from the speedster twins' rather nonchalant response to her injuries and come to the conclusion that the amethyst eyed girl was someone like him and Flourite and the demon brats. There was no other explanation for it, really. Why else would they have refused to call the doctor even when they had come back here? And, from the sight in front of him, it seemed that his assumption was correct.

"_She is a fast healer,"_ one of those speedsters had told him. Tomoyo was a meta. A meta capable of accelerated healing. That was probably the only reason why, instead of freaking out at seeing her standing or rather collapsed in the doorway of the sitting room a mere two hours after acquiring injuries that on a normal person would have put them on a wheelchair for life, Kurogane had started scolding her, and that too right in front of her mother. But then again…The woman didn't really like him anyways, so no matter what he did, he wasn't getting in her good books anytime soon.

"Just because you heal fast, doesn't mean you should be moving about." He scolded her, hoping that the slight flush that was creeping up his cheeks at her proximity would go unnoticed. He hadn't even thought anything of it as he had picked her up. But now, as he was walking… "Umm… which way is your room?"

"Up the stairs, it's down the hall in the right wing. Last door on the left." She responded softly, tiredness seeping into her voice as she rested her head against his chest, the scent of her lavender scented shampoo wafting up to his nose. "You were going to leave just now, weren't you?"

"…" Kurogane chose not to say anything in response since he could feel Mrs. Daidouji's gaze burn through the back of his head. He did not want to cause a rift between her and her mother because of what that woman had said. She was only looking out for her daughter, even if he didn't like what she had insinuated.

"You were…"she said dejectedly after a while and Kurogane felt this irresistible urge to kick himself. What was it about this girl that was making him act like a love-sick puppy around her?

"Sorry."

"I can understand." She mumbled into his shirt. Sheesh. How big was this house? They had just made it to the top of the stairs. Now to find the right wing. "You must have work you need to get back to. It's probably more important than you hanging around a freak like me."

"What?" He yelped in a very un-Kurogane like manner. What was it with these Daidouji women making him yelp like a wet dog that had his tail stepped on? "Why the heck would you say you're a freak?" Was she worried he'd reject her because she was a meta? She must have caught the meaning in his tone for he felt her smile as she snuggled closer to him. He was very much aware of Sonomi's eyes glaring daggers into his back.

"Please stay." She said as he shouldered the door to her room open. "I'm sure Mother won't mind." As Kurogane laid her down in bed and pulled the covers over her frail form, he wanted to tell her just how much her mother would mind him staying, but the sound of the door closing behind him and the feel of Tomoyo's soft fingers wrapping around his hand in an almost pleading manner made him settle on top of the covers of her bed.

"Sleep," he mumbled softly, looking away to hide the blush that started blooming out on his face as he imagined Souma's response to hearing where he was. Damn… why did his cousin have to be such a pervert? The fact that Tomoyo looked really adorable as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep didn't really help his thoughts any. "I'll be here when you wake up." He told her, watching as she smiled, her fingers squeezing his hand gently once.

-0-

"I thought your apartment was the other way." Sakura looked out the window of the passenger seat of Fai's car as they drove out of the hospital parking lot a couple of hours later. Fai cast a short glance in her direction, noticing the small frown on her face.

"I know." He answered simply, shifting the gears and flooring the gas. The tires screeched and Sakura let out a startled shriek.

"Fai!"Sakura wailed, one hand clutching her heart while the other rested on the window pane.

"Remember what I told you on your birthday?" he grinned.

"Speed demon, right." She gave a shaky laugh. "You're going to kill me one day."

"Au contraire," he quipped lightly, "I'll be the one that's gonna save you." * Sakura looked at him, her face slightly scrunched in confusion, and Fai merely winked, adding to that, "From the dangers of living a boring life."

"Where are we going?"

"Someplace you won't be able to frown like that." He gave her a half smirk, "We're going shopping!"

-0-

"Sakura…she seems happy, doesn't she?" Arashi turned her head away from the window once their recent visitors were out of her line of sight. Her gaze traveled to her husband, who was slightly slumped in a rather uncomfortable plastic chair meant for visitors. He had been stubbornly occupying that position for most of the day, refusing to leave his wife's bedside.

"She certainly does." He affirmed. "That boy's good for her."

"It's good to know she has someone apart from us to rely on now."

"Yeah," Sorata nodded. "She needs someone strong to give her happiness, someone who can protect her."

There was a long silence, before Arashi spoke again, her voice anxious. "Do you think he can, though?"

Sorata said nothing, simply easing himself out of the chair and walking slowly to his wife, placing his arms around her once he reached the side of her bed and holding her as the tears fell.

_**A/N: Well what do you know. Tomoyo is a meta! So who saw that coming? **_

_**Oh! Did you like the fluff between Kuro and Tomoyo? I had a lot of fun writing it. **_

_**Tell me who do you want to see more in the next chapter? Sakura and Fai, Kuro and Tomoyo or Freya and the other bad guys.**_

_***This is actually a lyric from the song this story got its title from. Whispers in the Dark by Skillet. How many of you could tell this was a part of the song?**_

_**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**_

_**I will soon be changing my penname to 'Obsidian Butterfly'.**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: So after a long, long wait, I'm finally back with a new chapter. Enjoy!**_

The room was dark, the curtains drawn despite it only being midday outside. Quietly, he shut the door behind him, taking care to lock it before moving to a small desk placed in one corner of the room. Bending over to open the lowest drawer, he silently rummaged inside for a while, moving aside its contents until his fingers closed around a cool, plastic object. Setting it on the desktop, he began rummaging inside once again, straightening up once he found the second item he was looking for.

Picking up the item he had set on the desk, he made his way over to the wooden bed with dark green sheets. Sitting down so that his back was lightly leaning against the headboard, he reached inside his jacket and withdrew a small cassette. Placing it in the device in his hand- a portable cassette player- he plugged in the small headphones and put them in his ears. His finger hovered over the button that had the word 'Play' printed on it in faded white paint. It was fairly old and held quite a lot of memories for him, the recent ones somewhat less happy than the others.

"…_Hey, Syaoron,"_ The voice of his brother rang out from the earphones as soon as his finger applied pressure on the button. "_I hope you're not mad at me anymore. I saw you a few hours ago, walking around with that girlfriend of yours."_ His brother laughed, "_I know. I know. Freya isn't really your girlfriend, and frankly speaking, I think that girl deserves someone better."_ Again he laughed. _"Sorry, couldn't resist. She's not your type, I know. You've told me countless times before."_

"_I'm on the run right now. Well…right now when I'm recording this, I mean. Not right now when you're listening to it, since I don't think I'll be around by then. I hope you're holding out okay, little brother. I know I shouldn't have left you to bear the burden of the mistakes I committed, but I didn't really have a choice. So far, all I have ever done in my previous recordings was give you a set of commands to carry out…" _There was silence for a while before the older twin sighed and continued, "_I feel like such a selfish jerk right now… but trust me, I wasn't doing this for my sake alone. I owe you an explanation and I hope it's not too late for what I'm about to tell you. But before I continue on and tell you anything at all, I need you to promise me that you will destroy this tape once you're done listening and not repeat a word of it to anyone else. Ever…"_ More silence followed and Syaoron prepared himself to hear his brother's subliminal command toensure his will was carried out at all costs, just like he had done in all the previous recordings. Surprisingly enough, none came. "_You're expecting me to use my powers again, aren't you?"_ more silence followed, but Syaoron could almost feel his twin's regret and guilt embedded there, "… _you have no idea how sorry I am, Syao. Even after that promise we made to never use our powers on each other, I have done so anyways… so much that now you don't really expect much else from me, do you? You probably think the reason I do that is because I don't trust you."_ His older twin did have that uncanny ability to predict the directions his thought processes would take long before a certain event would take place. He felt a slight spark of anger, guilt and hurt inside him when he heard confirmation of his fears. If Syaoran did not trust him… why the hell had he arranged for these messages to be sent to him over the past year?

"_I always could tell what you were thinking… and before you go off angsting about why the heck I sent you all these messages if I didn't trust you at all, take a deep breath and listen. I trust you, Syaoron."_ The use of his full name in the recording was not missed on the younger twin, "_I trust you more than anyone else in the world. But…Uncle has ways to make people talk. The only way to ensure your safety wasthrough me using my powers on you. If he ever caught wind of me telling you what I am about to tell you… I waited this long only because I did not want to put this burden on your shoulders, brother, but seeing you today as you went about hunting for Flourite made me rethink my decision. Ignorance might be bliss, but ignorance could also lead to your destruction."_

"_You have heard the _legend_ of the meta who calls herself the Time-Space Witch, right? She's not just a myth. I've met her… I've… I've made a deal with her. All this time, I've only asked you to sabotage recruit missions for just two metas, right? Metas that everyone else mysteriously happens to just forget about after a while until they pop up on our scanners, right?"_Syaoron felt his blood run cold as his mind began connecting the dots.

-0-

"Fai, isn't this place a bit too expensive?" Sakura looked around the lavish boutique with visible discomfort as she caught sight of one of the assistants eyeing her in obvious distaste. The blond plastered a big plastic smile on her face as she headed over to the newly formed couple and greeted them in a voice so cheerful it could not have been genuine.

"Hello, my name is Jennifer. How may I be of assistance to you today?"

Sakura did not like the way the blond eyed her boyfriend, her eyes looking him up and down like he was some sort of delicious delicacy.

"Ah, yes, could you please show my girlfriend some of your latest designs?"

Jennifer looked like she had swallowed something extremely bitter as her smile turned a little strained.

"Right this way, miss." The assistant instructed her as she began walking away. Sakura looked towards Fai who merely grinned and motioned for her to go on.

"I'll be waiting over there, okay?" He said, pointing towards a set of comfortable-looking sofas placed on the right side of the shop. Sakura returned half an hour later with two dresses of her choice. She had liked several more in fact, but knew that with the price range that these dresses had, it was best to buy only a pair for now.

"Fai, I'm done. We can… oh, hello." She smiled softly, noticing that her boyfriend was no longer alone.

"Sakura," Eva said as she walked over to the brunette and hugged her in greeting. "How are you? I'm really sorry to hear about your home."

"I'm okay, I guess," she replied as the redhead released her.

"Right, so anyhow," Eva said as she perked up all of a sudden, "Fai here was telling me that you need to buy clothes and some other stuff."

"Yes, but I've already chosen a few that I like," she said, as she pointed towards the two shopping bags sitting on the counter, awaiting payment.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Eva exclaimed in disbelief as she rounded on Fai, punching him on the arm, "that's all you're gonna buy her? You're supposed to be her boyfriend! You need to treat her right, or I swear I'm going to kidnap her from your flat and make her stay with me instead." She turned to Sakura and flashed her a brilliant smile. "Don't worry about this idiot. We're gonna get you a proper wardrobe." And then without waiting for a reply from either of them, she proceeded to drag the auburn haired girl towards the next shop, leaving Fai to pay for her purchases.

-0-

Kurogane watched the girl sleep, a few strands of her hair falling across her face like strands of silken thread. Heaving a sigh, he cast a wary glance towards the door, wondering if Mrs. Daidouji would come marching in with the police in tow, demanding he leave her precious daughter alone. It had to have been a few hours since Tomoyo had asked him to stay with her. Her skin had regained its color, though she was still quite pale. But it was a healthy sort of pale and somehow Kurogane could just tell that when she woke up again, she'd be as right as rain.

His eyes drifted over to the clock and he noticed that it was almost five in the evening now. He wondered why his employer had not called him to send him on some other ridiculous job in so long. It was a while before he recalled that one of the demon twins had actually confiscated his cell phone earlier that morning. He only hoped his poor mother had not tried calling him for something because she'd be make herself sick with worry if he did not respond.

"Kurogane?" The girl mumbled as she began to stir and he suddenly became aware of the warm hand clutching his own. He waited with baited breath, hoping she wouldn't scream on seeing his face when she woke up since she had been quite out of it when she had asked him to stay behind. He wasn't even sure about whether she was aware of the fact that she had gone against her mother's wishes when she had asked him to do so. No matter. He would find out in a few moments.

Blearily opening her eyes, she gazed around the room before her eyes settled on him and she gave him a lazy grin.

"You stayed."

"You asked me to." He responded gruffly, hoping that the heat rising along his cheeks upon seeing the sight she presented- freshly roused from her sleep- was only a part of his imagination.

"I'm glad you did." Her smile widened.

He knew it wasn't the ideal time to bring it up, but Kurogane did not wish to cause a rift between the girl and her mother so he decided to lay it all out in the open for her.

"Your mother does not want me to see you anymore."

"Mom? Wait, what do you-"

"She's worried about your safety, and frankly speaking, after what happened today," he said, interrupting her before she could finish her sentence, "I have to agree with her."

"What happened today?" she repeated uncomprehendingly as she stared at him for a while before it dawned upon her and she quickly snatched her hand away from him.

"You mean the attack?" Kurogane had never thought her voice could come out that cold. For a fraction of a second, she truly did seem every bit her mother's daughter. "I should have known." She laughed mirthlessly as she turned her head away from him. "You're just like the others."

"What?" Her response confused the red-eyed teen.

"Why are you still here, then?" she spat angrily as she whirled around to glare at him, her lavender eyes ablaze with fury. "Why don't you just collect your reward and leave? I'm sure my mother must have offered you a hefty sum for your services. Go ahead," she nearly screamed, "take it and leave!"

"Tomoyo-"

"Don't!" she yelled, "Don't call me by that name, Suwa!"

Now he was clearly taken aback by her anger. What the heck was she thinking was going on?

"Why did you stay then, huh? Were you hoping Mother would increase the amount if you stuck around a little longer? Is that it?"

"Tomoyo, I think-"

"I don't care what you think! And don't call me by my name! Just leave already!" She turned away from him, hugging her arms fiercely as she avoided looking at him. A few moments of tense silence passed as neither spoke, though he could tell her ears were straining to pick out the sounds of departing footsteps. "Why are you still here?" she asked, so softly that for a second he thought he had only imagined the words being said, but the sight of her quivering frame and the sound of her next words made him rethink his opinion. "No one ever wants to stick around a freak like me… Especially when they can have more money than they could ever dream of…. I had thought you'd be different." She admitted quietly. "I had seen you fighting off those men that night and I had thought, 'hey, he's just like me. Surely he wouldn't think that I'm a freak just because I'm different.' But I should have known better. You're just like the others."

"You think I came after you because of your money?" he growled, feeling his temper rise.

The girl remained silent, though he could tell she was listening.

"You're even more like your mother if you thought that was the reason." He told her, his voice lacking alltraces of kindness as he let his anger seep into his tone. His eyes were hard as he stared at her back. "Before today, I had no idea that you were the heir to the Daidouji fortune, and even now, I don't give a damn about your money. And so what if you're a fast healer?"

"If you don't care about either of those, why do you agree with my mother?"

"Because those men were after the brats I had with me." Kurogane admitted, "And they've been after me for a quite a while, too. If I start seeing you, they'll come after you too. Especially since you're…" he trailed off.

"A freak?" she supplied bitterly.

"Do you think I'm a freak too?" he countered.

"…"

"You're special, Tomoyo." He sighed when she remained silent, "I won't be able to live with myself if they begin targeting you because of me."

"You don't have to worry about that last part."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm already on their list." She spoke softly as she finally turned around to face him, "It's one of the reasons why my mother never lets me go anywhere without guards that are freaks just like me. After almost a year of fighting, complaining, and begging, Mother finally relented on letting me go work at the café on my own, without any sort of guards for once. I was even able to go to a public school. But after today, I doubt she'll ever let me out of the house again."

"Without guards?" Kurogane repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion. He was sure the speedster twins had been her guards. Or maybe they had been sent to look after her undercover?

"Yeah," She nodded, a small smile gracing her lips as her eyes grew a little unfocused, "It was the happiest day of my life when she agreed to let me live a normal life."

"I see." Kurogane did not have the heart to tell her that her mother had never truly let her go on her own, and for some reason, he was actually rather glad that the guards had been there.

"… so does this mean you didn't take the money that my mom offered?" she asked hopefully.

"Why would I? I have no use for it."

"But you're still going to leave me alone now?"

"I thought it might be better if we didn't see each other," Tomoyo visibly deflated upon hearing those words, "but if what you say is true and they're already after you too, I guess it'd be better if I stick close to you." He was overwhelmed by the scent of lavender-with a hint of the rusty tang of blood-as the girl threw herself on him in a crushing hug.

"Thank you," she breathed into his shirt and Kurogane found a silly grin forming on his own face.

"Not a problem."

-0-

"And that's the last of that!" Eva said happily as she dumped the last of the shopping bags in Fai's already-laden arms. "Emptying Fai's wallet felt _good_, right Sakura?"

"Ummm…" The girl bit her lip, wondering how she should respond to that. On one hand, she was happy with all the purchases the redhead had forced her into making, but on the other hand she felt a little bad about making Fai pay for it all. She had promised to pay him off whenever she could but both he and Eva had waved her off, telling her it was his duty as her boyfriend to spoil her rotten.

"And it's not like he can't afford to spend money on you." Eva's statement had left Sakura baffled for a bit until the girl had hastily clarified that their uncle, meaning Eva and Fai's, had set up funds in both their names and a generous amount of money had been transferred to their accounts upon his death. Right before she had given that explanation, though, Sakura thought she had seen Fai give Eva a threatening look but it could have been a trick of the light because the minute she had blinked, his usual goofy grin was back in place.

"As Eva has so eloquently put it," Fai grunted as he struggled to get a proper grip on the bags, "feel free to empty my wallet as much as you'd like, okay? Don't worry about the price and buy whatever you want."

They had been wandering around the shopping district of the city for quite a while now and Sakura nearly had everything she needed, including a set of new books, notebooks and a messenger bag along with a few pens and other stationary items. Even though they had departed straight from school to her birthday celebration, Sakura had not brought many of her books to school that day so most of them had still been at the orphanage and thus had fallen victim to the fire.

After dropping everything at Fai's car, Eva had dragged them over to her favorite restaurant, claiming that she was famished, and from the looks of it, so was Sakura, so Fai was going to buy them a really late lunch. The sun had already begun to sink beyond the horizon as they neared the restaurant in question. Sakura had never thought that something out of the ordinary would happen, but knowing her bad luck, she should have known things would go south. A strangled scream tore past her lips as a sailing signpost impaled Eva through the shoulder and pinned her to the wall of the diner a few feet away.

"Eva!" Fai cried out in alarm, his narrowed eyes quickly scanning their surroundings for their attacker as Sakura gaped in horror at the skewered girl.

"Damn it!" The redhead swore, her left arm dangling uselessly at her side as she struggled to pull the signpost from her shoulder. "This was my favorite shirt!" Eva's angry snarl brought Sakura out of her stupor as she noticed something indefinitely wrong with the situation. Eva should be screaming in pain about her shattered shoulder, not yelling angrily about her ruined shirt. Or was she in shock or something? Sakura made to move towards the injured girl but was pulled back by Fai as a heavy vending machine crashed where she had been only two seconds earlier.

"Can you free yourself?" Fai threw a glance over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the panicking crowds, his eyes trying to pick out any signs of their invisible attackers. Why wasn't he panicking? Or at least trying to find some way to help his best friend?

"Darn thing is jammed pretty solid."

"Shit." That was probably the first time she heard the blond swear. His usual grin was replaced by an intense frown, making him seem like an altogether different person. "Sakura, no matter what happens, don't leave my side." He told her, pulling her along, nimbly dodging out of the way when a mini-car crashed into the pavement. "This might hurt," he warned the stuck redhead before he spun around, lashing out at the horizontal pole with his left leg. The metal budged a little as Eva grunted in pain.

"Hit it again." She grit out, her right hand uselessly clutching at the wound as bright crimson blood flowed freely through her fingers.

Nodding once, Fai slammed his leg into the pole which detached from the wall with a loud twang. Eva suppressed a scream as she fell to the pavement under the weight of the signpost.

"I'm going to pull it out now," Fai told her as he reached for the longer end that was sticking out of her shoulder.

"No." Eva gasped as she shook her head. "Slice it near the shoulder. I'll heal it later." And then her eyes widened as she saw something behind Fai. "Fai, look out!"

The blond whirled around, immediately bringing his hands upwards in a sweeping motion. A thick sheet of ice followed the movement of his arms and caught the bench that had been hurled at him.

"These guys seriously need to get creative with their attacks." Fai muttered as he turned his attention back to Eva. "Sakura, you okay?" He asked the auburn-haired girl once the redhead had been freed.

"I-It's him." She murmured shakily as she stared in the direction of their attackers. By now, everyone else had fled save for the three of them and their two attackers. The men were in their early twenties at most and seemed like complete opposites to each other. One was a brunette with stormy blue eyes and the other was a silver-blond with grey eyes, partially hidden behind a pair of round-rimmed glasses. The former sported an angry frown, while the latter seemed to be smiling for some reason. It had been a long time since Fai had seen them last, years in fact, but not much had changed about their appearance.

"It appears as though our target has another meta friend." The silver-haired man stated casually. "This might turn out to be fun, ne, Touya?"

Fai noticed the man called Touya flicker his eyes in Sakura's direction for a fraction of a second and a confused look appear on his face, but it was gone the moment Fai blinked.

"Touya…" Sakura whispered breathlessly behind him.

"This might feel a bit cold, but it'll keep you out of the line of fire, okay?" Fai told her as he erected a translucent dome of ice around her. "I'll get you out once we're done. Won't be long though, okay?"

"I never would have guessed," Eva grunted as she clambered to her feet, "the infamous Touya and Yukito coming after me."

"You take on the teleporter," Fai told her under his breath, "and I'll handle the telekinetic."

"This might turn out to be fun indeed." The redhead grinned, repeating her opponent's words from earlier.

It appeared as though Touya and Yukito had also decided on the same opponents, as the brunette moved in to attack the blue-eyed teenager and his partner vanished only to appear behind Eva.

-0-

Sakura could see their blurry forms moving outside the dome of ice, her own breath coming in short puffs that misted before her face. She could hear them grunt and yell as they attacked each other, with Fai and Eva throwing some taunts at the other two every now and then, but their voices were too muffled for her to be able to tell exactly what was being said. Once or twice she heard the men, Touya and Yukito, respond as well. She could feel a headache coming along but she wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or something else entirely.

"_Keep running, Sakura!"_

Something hit the dome of ice with a thunk as the shield began to crack. The figure slid to the bottom of the dome before gingerly climbing back to its feet. The next second, a brilliant blaze of orange lit up the entire dome for a few seconds.

"_Don't let them catch you. I'll keep them away from you. Just run!"_

"Stop it," she breathed, clutching her head as flashes of a dark room occasionally being lit up by lightening appeared in her mind, the headache growing worse every passing second.

"_Sakura, run!"_ The voice was accompanied by the face of a blue-eyed boy with messy black hair. He was looking at her in fear and desperation, a cut on his cheek bleeding crimson. "_Don't let them catch you!"_

"S-Stop it." Her voice became a little louder, though her vision was begging to blur. Something else crashed into the dome surrounding her and another crack appeared, weakening the structure a little more. She could feel it stir within her. It moved sluggishly but she could feel it inside her. Moving, stretching… awakening. "Stop it." she cried again as another crack appeared in the dome.

-0-

Fai found himself being flung around in the air by an invisible force. He was merely being spun around in a wide circle for now, but he knew it was gonna hurt like hell when the force holding him let go. Sooner rather than later, it happened, sending him flying. Stars appeared before his vision for a second as he crashed into the dome he had erected for Sakura's protection- the shield tearing away like wet paper towels. It was supposed to hold under a much stronger force, so then why had it collapsed just like that?

"Stop it." He heard Sakura scream behind him as he concentrated to hurl a few fireballs in the direction of his opponent, just so he could distract the man long enough for him to be able to get away from Sakura. But to his immense shock and surprise, the balls of fire sputtered and hissed before puffing out of existence entirely as the dome of ice started melting at an alarming rate. Eyes widening, he turned to look back at Sakura, only to find the auburn-haired girl on the dirty pavement clutching her head.

"What the heck is happening?" He heard Yukito cry in alarm.

"The inhibitor." Touya murmured as he stared at the girl behind Fai. The man was standing just outside the melting ice-barrier. Inwardly cursing, Fai climbed to his feet, blocking his girlfriend from the older man's line of sight.

"Your fight is with me," he declared, moving his arms in a sweeping pattern with regular jerks after calculated intervals and thin shards of ice flew towards the man. The brunette dove out of the way, his attention once again settling back on the blond teen.

-0-

"The inhibitor." She heard Touya say as he stared at her and for a moment, his emotionless face was replaced by that of a young boy screaming at her in desperation.

"_**You won't remember anything related to our kind." **_A firm voice whispered in the back of her mind, making her head pound so hard it felt like there were hundreds of tiny mallets drumming about on the inside of her skull._ "__**You won't remember what you can do. You are just an average girl, with an average life.**__"_

"No… Stop." She screamed, feeling parts of her memories slip through her grasp like sand through clenched fists. She tried holding on to them, but with the chaos around her and sledgehammers pounding inside her head, it was difficult to focus for long. Her eyes were still staring at the man her brother, the boy who had gone missing all those years ago, had turned into. Touya seemed to be holding his own quite easily as he attacked Fai with almost every moveable thing within range, which was quite a lot considering the debris from the destroyed buildings around them.

"_**You don't know the guy standing behind me."**_ The last of her memories about the blue-eyed man and his connection to her fled.

"Stop it!" She screamed as loud as she could, feeling the power inside her explode from her body in wild torrents. All unnatural activity seemed to stop as the power crashed into the ones surrounding her. The fire died, the ice melted, the hovering objects fell to the ground with resounding crashes just as darkness moved in to claim her.

-0-

"So, you return from another mission empty handed." Displeasure was evident in their master's voice as he stared down at them.

"There were a few unexpected complications." He responded robotically, feeling Yukito fidget uncomfortably beside him.

"Unexpected complications?" The man wearing a monocle repeated mockingly. "You want me to believe that you – two of my best agents- were unable to capture one healer with no other special abilities to speak of?"

"She had company."

"When has a little company ever stopped you from taking anyone before?" their boss questioned rhetorically. "I am very disappointed in you two. This is the third mission in a row you have failed. If this keeps up, I might have to rethink my decision about allowing you two to work as a team."

The two of them wisely kept their mouths shut. Any protest would have only made the man assume an even firmer stance with them.

"Do you know why I wish to collect gifted metas such as yourself and bring them under my wing?"

"…"

"It is because you are all like children," he informed them, "stupid little brats who don't know any better. This world can be turned into a great place. No more fighting, no more wars, no more crime and no more sadness. It is because you idiotic metas are allowed to roam around freely that so many tragedies continue occurring. But enough about that." He narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, "What did this company do that made you fail your mission?"

"We… we can't recall."

"What?" the man spat sharply.

"It's like memory of that encounter has been wiped from our minds completely."

"…I see." Their master nodded with a displeased frown. "It appears that my troublesome nephew continues to meddle with my plans even when he is beyond any help."

-0-

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Fai," Eva smiled as she looked at the blond, "I managed to heal up my shoulder real good. I just need to take it a little easy for a while to let the rest of the bone heal on its own."

"I mean, you heading off on your own again."

"Oh." She pouted, an expression of mock hurt adorning her features, "And here I was thinking you cared about my well-being."

"Eva."

"Relax, Fai. You know me." She smiled at him reassuringly, "I'm just gonna go into hiding for a little while to throw them off my trail. I'll probably go rest up in one of the safe houses for a while. You can still get to me on my cell if you want my help. I'll be there in less than a day."

"Just," the blond sighed as he hugged the redhead once, "take care of yourself, okay?"

"Always." She grinned as she slung a bag over her shoulder, "And you better look after yourself too. I'm getting tired of having to patch you up every few days."

"Right."

"Hey, is she gonna be okay?" Eva asked softly, cocking her head in the direction of the unconscious girl that was strapped into the passenger side of Fai's car.

"She probably won't remember the encounter when she wakes up, if that's what you mean." He replied, shaking his head.

"And what about… _that_."

"I suspect whatever is keeping her from remembering is the same thing that's keeping her powers locked up." He replied quietly. "But since she somehow managed to use them despite the block, who knows."

"I see." Eva replied, observing the peaceful expression on the girl's face as she slept. "Well, I've taken care of the small bruises that she had gotten, so you don't have to worry about her asking you about those any time soon. You try to lay off of any strenuous activity for a few days, though. I am so not healing you again if that rib cracks because of your stupidity."

"Bye, Eva." He shook his head, giving her a quick hug once more, "See you when I see you."

"Bye," she replied with a small grin, "see you when I see you too." She stuck out her tongue before turning on her heels and walking away. Sighing, the blond looked back at the sleeping girl in his car before shaking his head and moving around to get behind the steering wheel. It was going to be another night on the sofa tonight. Maybe he should look for a sofa-com-bed or something next time he was out of town.

_**A/N: so the identities of the remaining two mystery attackers have finally been revealed. How many of you thought it might have been those two and how many of you were shocked by this revelation? Next chapter or the one after that will be the long awaited trip. I wonder if things will go smoothly for them or not. *grins***_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: Since it's New Year, I figured an update was in order. Despite my busy as hell schedule, I still managed to get some time out to finish this chapter so I hope you guys enjoy it.**_

Syaoron found himself back in the underground chamber, sitting before the cylindrical tank that was lit up by the lights in the floor, eerie shadows dancing around the dark figure floating inside the tank.

"I figured I would find you down here."

"Freya," he mumbled in a hoarse whisper, not tearing his gaze away from the glass tank, "what do you want?"

"You're upset." She commented softly as she came to sit beside him.

"No, I'm not." He replied quietly.

"Don't lie, Syaoron." The blond said sharply, "I can see through your mask very easily."

"Why did you come to work for my uncle?" he said, clenching his hands into fists as he kept on staring at the cylinder.

"What is this all about, Syaoron?" she asked, cautiously approaching him to sit beside him.

"Answer my question, Freya." He demanded in a hissed whisper, finally turning around to stare at her through narrowed eyes, the amber in the set ablaze with emotions Freya couldn't quite place.

"You know why," she answered in an even tone.

"Do you still believe in those reasons?" Syaoron questioned.

"Do you?" she countered, narrowing her own eyes before turning her head away to stare at the second occupied tank inside the room.

"Not anymore." He admitted, making her look back at him in surprise.

"Me neither." She confessed, meeting his gaze.

-0-

Sakura woke up feeling warm and restless. Pushing the covers off of her sweating body, she shivered as the cold air hit her. Looking around blearily, she noticed that she was in Fai's bed, the navy blue curtains parted enough to let the golden light of the setting sun pool inside the room. She struggled to sit up but crashed back into the pillows when the world started spinning.

"If you weren't feeling well earlier," Fai said as he inched the door open with his shoulder, his hands occupied with a tray laden with a bowl and a glass of water as he entered the room, "you should have told me about it Sakura. I would have brought you home sooner."

"Huh?" he grunted intelligently as she struggled to sit up once again.

"You were running a fever and you didn't bother letting me or Eva know about it." he told her rather sternly. "You passed out from exhaustion at the entrance to the restaurant."

"I… I felt fine earlier." She croaked, feeling confused at the jumbled mess that were her thoughts and memories.

"I made you some soup. I hope you like mushroom in it." Fai set the tray on the bedside table before helping her up. "How are you feeling now though?" he asked, gently kissing her on the forehead before picking up the tray and placing it in his lap as he handed her the glass.

"Not so good," she mumbled before taking a sip of the cool liquid that wet her parched throat.

"Don't worry, I've brought you some medicine. You can take that after you have some soup and then you can rest some more, okay?"

"Thank you." she smiled rather weakly at him as he put the glass away and positioned the tray in her lap so that she could have some of the soup. The steam wafting from the broth made her stomach churn in hunger, reminding her of the fact that she had missed out on lunch earlier in the day.

"Go on, try some." He offered her the spoon, watching her rather closely as she dipped it into the bowl. Just as she brought it to her lips, Fai's cell-phone went off. He frowned a little as he checked the caller id. "I need to take this call. I'll be back shortly. You try and eat some of the soup until then, okay?" receiving her nod in response, he pressed receive, bringing the device to his ear as he stood up.

"Yeah?" Sakura heard him say as he left the room. Wondering who it was, she brought the spoon to her lips blowing on it gently before putting it in her mouth. The slightly salty taste burned against her throat in a pleasant manner as she chewed on a small chunk of meat.

-0-

"Fai, its Eva."

"Yeah?" he waited until the door had closed behind him before he moved to the sofa in the living room, "is everything okay?"

"That depends." She replied evasively, "How is Sakura?"

"She's fine." Fai sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand, "She's got a fever though. But that's to be expected after the earlier display. She just woke up."

"Does she remember anything?" he could almost picture the redhead biting her lip in uncertainty.

"No." the blond shook his head with the reply as he put bare feet on the coffee table and crossed his ankles. "The command still holds strong on her I suppose. Did you get there safely? No one followed you, right?"

"Quite being such a worrywart Fai," Eva laughed on the other end, "it doesn't suit you. I'm fine though. And no, no one followed me. I called to talk to you about something else."

"What is it?" he leaned his head against the back of the sofa, wincing as a couple of joints popped as he stretched a little.

"Did you know that Uncle kept journals?" Eva questioned as he heard the ruffle of papers on the other end, "I was snooping around his study and I came across a bunch of them."

"Why were you snooping around his study?"

"I was bored." She replied simply in a way that was entirely Eva, "Anyhow, are you going to listen to what I found?"

"What did you find?" he asked, figuring it was best not to berate the girl for going through Ashura's stuff. After all, he himself had done so on countless occasions.

"Ashura was a part of the original members of the G.E.P."

He felt his heart skip a beat as he heard that. "… I see." Was all he could bring himself to say after a while.

"I'm gonna snoop around some more and see if I can dig up anything else." The redhead told him softly. "I'll scan and mail the journal by midnight, okay?"

"That'd… That'd be great." He replied shakily, "Thanks."

"No problem. Now you better get back before Sakura starts wondering where you've gone off to. Your girlfriend is sick after all. Take care of her." She ordered in a playfully stern manner.

"Yes ma'am."

"See you when I see you, Fai."

"See you when I see you." the blond sighed as he disconnected the call. He remained seated for a little while longer, his eyes closed and his head resting against the back of the sofa before he heaved a sigh and stood up. Ashura had been a part of the G.E.P. _They_ were after anyone affected by the G.E.P. He wondered why the older man had never brought up something like that before he was killed. Ashura _had_ been training him, Eva and Freya on how to use their powers in preparation for when _they_ for them. The organization headed by that man. The one responsible for the deaths of everyone he held dead. His parents. His brother. And now his mentor. They had taken them all away from him. Everything always came back to the G.E.P. and now… Shaking his head, he put on a pleasant smile on his face, he pushed the door open and joined Sakura on the bed. He'd go through the journal once Eva sent them over.

-0-

The first thought that ran through Kurogane's head was to just throw the annoying trio of escaped demons from hell and dump then in his truck before heading back home, but one look at their peaceful, deceptively angelic sleeping faces made him rethink his strategy of getting the brats home. If he woke them up in the process, they would no doubt drive him absolutely nuts, leading to his murdering the little devils which would in turn lead to the witch murdering him for wringing the necks of the little horrors. He could always get them to his truck one by one.

"Need help with them?" he heard one of the speedsters say. Turning around he found the raven-head, probably Subaru- he was the less anal and definitely more pleasant of the two bodyguards, leaning against the doorway with a small smile on his face.

"I'd appreciate it." he grunted, moving to pick up the white-haired monstrosity from the bed she had fallen asleep on along with the twin demons. The three had probably fallen asleep while playing with plushies of all sizes and shapes. He vaguely wondered who those toys belonged to but then dismissed the thought with a simple 'must've been Tomoyo's'.

"Mrs. Daidouji has decided to let her daughter continue attending school and working so long as she has at least one of us by her side."

"One of us?" he repeated, quirking a brow at the green-eyed speedster as they both picked up one monster each.

"So long as she doesn't know we're assigned to watch over her." Subaru nodded.

"Mrs. Daidouji has agreed to pay you for your services of course." Kamui, the other speedster, piped up, picking up the last sleeping monster, tucking the plushie she had been holding onto under one arm as he slung her over his shoulder rather carelessly.

"Tell that woman to keep it." he growled, grabbing his jacket with an irritated frown, "I'll watch over Tomoyo but let one thing be clear," he paused to emphasize his point, "I have no need for her money. If I watch out for her daughter, I do it out of my own accord and for no one else's sake but Tomoyo."

"I had also been considering providing you with some rare files on the G.E.P." Sonomi Dadouji's words froze him near the exit. Slowly, careful not to show it on his face just how much she had affected her by saying that acronym he turned around.

"I'm listening."

"My sources tell me you have been researching on it for quite a while. Without Ichihara being any wiser about it too." She added, "I'm impressed. That woman is not someone you can keep in the dark easily."

"What do you know?"

"Do you agree to watch over my daughter?" she asked coolly.

"Have you not heard a word I said you crazy witch?" Kurogane exploded, shocking the woman enough to make her mask of cool composure slip. "I'll watch out for Tomoyo. But I'm not doing it for your money and I sure as hell am not going to do it for you rare G.E.P files. I've been working on my own until now. I'll find out what I need to know on my own without help from you."

A small, melancholic smile broke out on her face all of a sudden as she shook her head.

"Has your mother ever told you how much like your father you really are?"

"What?"

"Subaru will be delivering the files to your doorstep first thing in the morning."

"I just told you that I-"

"That you will watch over my daughter without expecting any payment in return," she talked him over with a smile, "you _are_ your father's son and I never got to thank that man for all he did for me and my daughter. Think of it as a thank you. You have my permission to see my daughter boy. I can see that she cares a lot for you but," She gave him a deadly glare, just as a vase on the table to his right exploded, "break her heart and I'll make sure that every bone in your body shatters." She smiled brightly not a second later. "Have a pleasant evening. Tell your mother I said hello."

"How will Tomoyo go to work if the café just collapsed on itself today?" Kurogane asked, somehow not feeling shocked at all upon discovering that the woman was a meta as well as they walked down the drive-way of the enormous mansion five minutes later.

"Mrs. Daidouji has agreed to compensate for all the losses that were incurred," Kamui replied, "It will be moved to a separate part of the city in a couple of days. The employees will be informed about the change of location by tonight as well as the unexpected break."

"She owned the place, didn't she?" the red-eyed teen deadpanned.

"You could say that." Subaru grinned sheepishly. "Mrs. Daidouji is very protective of her daughter," he clarified causing Kurogane to snort at that.

"Understatement of the century." He muttered just as they reached his truck and he started unlocking the vehicle.

"She did not wish for Miss Tomoyo to work at a place where she would not be protected properly."

He merely rolled his eyes at the woman's paranoia as he dumped the demon brat number one in the back seat. Kamui and Subaru were far more careful with the monsters they carried. With a simple nod, once they were had deposited the girls in the truck, they turned around and headed back to the mansion. Wordlessly, he climbed behind the wheel and started up the ignition, wondering what might be for dinner. He sincerely hoped it was Souma's cooking. That girl was _not_ meant to cook. Even he could make better food than her. And that was saying something considering he always burnt his toasts.

"Kurogane, you're home." His mother smiled as he entered the tiny two storey house from the back entrance that opened up into the kitchen. "A package was delivered for you half an hour ago by a young man. I left it for you on the coffee table in the den."

"Did he say who it was?" he asked, shifting the sleeping brat in his arms a little as he paused to look at his mother.

"No," she shook her head, stirring something inside the pot on the stove, "but he was very polite."

"I'll just put the brats to bed and see what it is then." He mumbled, shuffling towards the spare guest bed beside his parent's room. Once having dumped all three monsters in the bed and covering them with a blanket, he turned the lights off and shut the door behind him, eyes immediately settling on the innocent-looking package lying on the table. Frowning at the non-descript box, he picked it up, rattling it a little to see what it might be. Hearing something rattle inside, he tore the brown paper off it, opening the cardboard box to find a simple black cell-phone inside with a small typewritten note attached.

_Keep this on you at all times._

_S.L._

His frown deepened a little as he switched the power on, feeling the device buzz in his hands almost half a minute later as a message arrived in his inbox.

S.L: Hello Kurogane.

K: who is this?

He waited impatiently for a response but none came. Just as he had all but given up, putting it back on the coffee table to go to the kitchen and help his mother with dinner, the mobile's screen lit up just as it began to buzz to indicate another incoming message.

S.L: Ichihara has files on G.E.P.

K: Is this Sonomi?

S.L: No.

K: who the heck are you?

K: and how do you know about the G.E.P?

He sat there waiting for another half an hour but no answers came forth. With a frustrated growl, the red-eyed Japanese teen, shoved it into the pocket of his jacket and headed to the kitchen to join his mother for dinner.

_**A/N: How was it? It wasn't Beta'd so I bet you guys found plenty of mistakes. Feel free to point them out, k?**_

_**Any thoughts on what the GEP might be? And how come pretty much everyone seems to be looking into it? Who is S.L. and why is he helping Kurogane? I'd love to hear what you think about it all, so please leave a review.**_

_**And once again**_

_**Happy New Year everyone. ^_^**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Finally an update. I wanted this chapter to be a little longer and have a few more things happen in it but sadly I damaged my laptop screen during the move to our new place and before I could have it repaired, the hinges snapped off completely so now I have to resort to borrowing my cousin's laptop to put up what I had written before mine broke. I'm hoping I can have it repaired sometime soon this week but if not… it might be a while before the next update I'm afraid. Anywho, bad news aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter all the same. Drop me a review and tell me what you think. ;)**_

He silently moved through the corridors of the complex, trying not to think about what he was just about to do. No one was supposed to know about it. He had been warned, but…he had a plan to get back at _that_ man for everything that he had done to them. However, he knew he would never be able to pull it off without help. Help from someone he trusted. And that list actually consisted of only two people. Unfortunately, one of those people was in a self-induced coma and was the reason he needed help in the first place. The second person was… well it was someone he was about to disclose everything he knew to, and he was hoping and praying to all the gods he never believed in that his trust in that person was not misplaced.

He stopped outside a door that looked no different from any other he had passed. He hesitated for a brief moment but then shook it off and rapped his knuckles against the metal smartly. He only had to wait a couple of second before the door slid open to reveal a slightly-sleepy-looking Freya.

"Syaoron?"she asked blearily, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"he asked, casting a look back the way he had come hurriedly as though afraid someone might come and drag him away for what he was about to do. Something must have shown on his face because the blond was wide awake instantly as she stepped aside and motioned him in.

"What's wrong?" she touched his arm lightly as the door shut behind her.

"Can I ask you a very personal question?" he said, taking both her shoulders in his hands as he met her gaze. Confusion swirled inside her toffee-colored eyes as she looked back at him.

"Syaoron, what has gotten into you? Why are you acting so weird?"

"I'll tell you everything," he replied, feeling all the emotions he had been suppressing ever since he had discovered and confirmed the truth for himself suddenly threatening to burst out of him, "but I need to know this first."

"What is it?"

"Do you really, truly hate your father?"

"What has Ashura got to do with-"

"Everything."He cut in, "I know why you joined us when I offered you a place here as my partner, but do you still feel that way about him? Even though he is dead and he might not be…" he trailed off helplessly. Everything was just so confusing. She did not know yet, so he couldn't expect her to understand that reason. But depending on that reason, her answer might change. But her answer was the one thing he was actually counting on to decide whether he really could trust her or not.

"He might not be what?" she repeated.

"I-I… no, you need to answer my question first. Freya, do you truly hate your father? And your cousin? Do you still want to destroy him like you did when you first became my partner?"

"Syaoron, I…"she looked away, and it was then he realized that the same fears he had about her were the ones she had about him. True, they trusted each other to a certain extent, they _were_ partners after all…but there were still a few things neither of them was willing to disclose to the other.

"I swear on my life, whatever you tell me now, will not leave this room." He promised sincerely.

"… I don't hate him. He is the one that gave me life, after all. It might have been for selfish reasons and he might have only done it to have me replace someone he had lost… but he did raise me and love me like his own flesh and blood. I can't hate him for that… Not anymore. Not when he is already gone."

"And your cousin?"

"I don't… no, I don't."

Letting out the breath he did not even realize he had been holding, Syaoron released her shoulders. Giving her a tired sort of grin, he slumped on her bed.

"Hurry up and get changed," he told her, confusing her even more with what he said but not caring about it in the least. "We're going out for a little while."

"Whatever this is for, it better be worth it," she warned, heading over to her closet to retrieve a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Believe me, it will be."

-0-

Early in the morning, Fai woke up to a persistent buzzing near his head. Groggily reaching out with his arm, he searched the coffee table for his cell phone without moving his face from its suffocating position on the pillow.

"Hello?" he mumbled sleepily as he pressed the device to his ear.

"What the hell, Fai!" Eva's voice exploded from the earpiece, jolting the blond to wakefulness at the sheer loudness of her angry screech, "I've called you about ten thousand times now. Why weren't you picking up the damn call?"

"I was sleeping…"he replied, finally lifting his head off the cushion to check the clock on the wall for the time. "And you are either extremely crazy or suicidal for waking me up at 5:30 in the morning. This had better be good or I am giving you a frostbite you won't be able to heal."

"Ohhh," she drawled in a lazily, "I guess I better run before I lose an arm or two to the infamous Flourite temper."

"I guess you have a couple of hours to make your preparations, then." He said, letting his head fall back on the pillow so that his words came out slightly muffled, "I'm too lazy to come after you right now. I'm going back to sleep."

"Lucky me. Before you hang up, I just figured I should let you know, I've sent you a copy of the journal."

"You could have just left me a message." Fai said, feeling his irritation rise a little."Did you have to wake me up for that?"

"And miss out on hearing your sleepy troll-voice?"

"I do _not_ sound like a troll." He shot back hotly.

"Hello?" she said in an exaggeratedly groggy manner in a poor imitation of Fai's voice. "That sounds just like a troll to me."

"Good morning, Eva." Fai told her, unable to keep a smile from touching his lips, "I'm going to cut the call now."

"Wait, wait,wait!" she called out hurriedly just as he made to disconnect the call.

"What?"

"Can I hear the troll-voice once more?"

"See you when I see you, Eva." He mentally rolled his eyes, almost picturing the grin on her face right that instant.

"See you when I see you, Fai."

Fai let the phone drop onto the cushion right next to his head as he let his mind drift back to sleep.

-0-

Freya silently observed Syaoron from her place in the passenger's seat of the car as the brunette drove them away from the complex and towards the city. The sun had only just begun to rise, but it was not unusual for the pair of them to leave the building at odd hours so none of the guards paid much mind to them when they left over half an hour back. The slightly orange light of the sun caused Syaoron's eyes to almost glow like ambers lit on fire and for a little while, she watched them, mesmerized.

"What?" he turned his gaze to look at her curiously.

"Nothing," She shook her head, looking away towards still darkened sky on her side of the horizon.

"You were looking at me." She saw his reflection in the rolled up window of the car as he returned his attention to the road.

"I was looking at your eyes. They look different somehow."

"Different?"

"They're clearer."She replied and offered no further explanation but then none was needed as all he did in response was utter a small 'oh'. They drove on in silence for another half hour until they entered the limits of Sahil.

"_Cat's Eye Café_ was demolished by Touya and Yukito in an attempt to retrieve those orphans."Syaoron told her, "The only other place that's probably open at this time is _Clover_. You mind if we head there?"

She shrugged in response, "It'll give us the privacy we need for whatever it is that you have to tell me."

"I was thinking the same." He said as their car took a turn in the direction of the aforementioned café. Freya could feel a strange sort of tightening in her chest the closer they got to their destination as dread began to tie her stomach into knots. Somehow, she could just tell that her world was about to turn upside down. Yet she kept it all from showing on her face as the brunette led her towards a table near the back of the coffee shop, ordering a cup of hot chocolate and a vanilla cupcake for her and a cup of the shop's strongest coffee brew and a brownie for himself. They only had to wait a short while before their orders were delivered by a pretty, redheaded waitress. Syaoron waited until she was gone before bringing the coffee to his lips and downing a gulp.

Taking a delicate sip from her own hot chocolate and feeling its sweet taste explode across her taste-buds, she looked at him expectantly.

"I've been getting letters from Syaoran." He said all of a sudden and had she not swallowed her chocolate already, she was sure she might have spat it all over his face.

"What?" she managed to choke out instead.

"He met with the Time-Space Witch."

"The Time-Space Witch is nothing more than an urban legend." She replied, her voice thankfully back to sounding normal.

"She is quite real." He shook his head, "and she is one of Uncle's fiercest adversaries. You probably know of her as Yuuko Ichihara."

"That principal with a major drinking problem?" She quirked a brow in disbelief, wondering how someone like_her_ could be the powerful meta with control over space and time itself.

"The very same." He nodded, biting into his brownie and taking another gulp of his coffee almost immediately afterwards. "Currently, the top meta on our list to acquire is the Inhibitor, the very same Inhibitor that the two of us have been secretly shielding from all the agents sent for her retrieval, sabotaging the missions one way or another. You never questioned why I asked you to help me, but I know you have always wondered about it."

"You do it because your brother asked you to," she replied calmly, secretly taking delight in the way he seemed almost surprised at her having figured it out. "Don't look so shocked, Syaoron, there is a reason why I was offered a place in this organization after all. Apart from my meta powers, that is. Syaoran was the one who was sent in to get the Inhibitor but somehow, right when we had almost acquired her, he had a change of heart and he made it so that everyone forgot all about the inhibitor's identity. He destroyed all the information we had on her before going rogue. Soon after that, he cornered you on your mission to acquire the Inhibitor's polar opposite and then Syaoran made it so that it would be impossible for you to succeed in that mission as well. Funnily enough, files on my dear cousin vanished along with the Inhibitor's and somehow everyone apart from the two of us seemed to have forgotten that the Flourite twin at large is the one we actually need to acquire. It wasn't all that difficult to connect the dots."

"I see."Syaoron said as he brought the coffee to his lips once more. Taking a big gulp of the almost-scalding liquid, he looked back at her. "Syaoran had the Time-Space Witch turn back time for him. From the letters he had arranged to have sent to me over the period of the past year, he had apparently captured the Inhibitor that day on the bridge and I had succeeded in my mission. Uncle had used their powers to achieve his goal and then Syaoran and I became his right hand men as a reward. But for some reason, Syaoran was not satisfied. I suppose somewhere along the way, as he tried to get close to the Inhibitor, he fell in love with her and even though he betrayed her trust and led us to her, the guilt of what he had done weighed heavily on him. He tried to look for ways to save her and then he came across the Time-Space Witch."

"So he had her turn back time for him." Freya nodded, her cup of hot chocolate forgotten by now as she listened to him with rapt attention, "Aren't her deals supposed to be rather strict in terms of payment? What did she ask of him in return?"

"His freedom." The brunette replied solemnly.

"And he _agreed?"_

Syaoron nodded, "Syaoran loved her too much. Apparently giving up his own freedom to let her have a shot at living her life freely wasn't too high of a price for him to pay." She could see the sadness in his gaze, even if his tone betrayed no emotion. "He made a second deal with the witch, though. He wanted his girlfriend to have a completely normal life, as far away from all of this as possible. But since she already knew what she was and why we were after her that was not possible since we could easily track her down whenever she used her powers. Syaoran said asking her to not use her powers would not have been easy without having to explain everything he had done. He was afraid she would hate him forever if she knew the truth. So he made her forget everything that was related to metas."

"He made her forget who she was. But the Inhibitor is supposed to unaffected by the powers of all other metas, isn't she? How could Syaoran make her forget anything if she was immune to his abilities?"

"He asked the witch to make it so that he was immune to her powers upon returning to the past."

"And the price he paid in return for that?"

"Was to prevent your cousin from being caught." He replied, "To make it all possible, the witch had to alter our timeline as Syaoran discovered upon returning to the past. Things were different from what he had left behind in the future."

"Like what?"

"In this new past, you were my partner."

Freya remained silent, feeling her heartbeat quicken a little as he seemed to hesitate about whatever else it was that he had yet to tell her.

"There were other changes, too, but you were what surprised my brother the most."

"Why?" the word came out as nothing more than a soft whisper.

"Because…" he paused, a myriad of emotions dancing in his gaze as he reached across the table to hold her hand. "… Because there never _was _a Freya Flourite in that other timeline. Syaoran thinks that you came into existence to fill up the void that would have been left behind in this world once he gave up his freedom and took the Inhibitor's place in captivity."

Her heart skipped a beat as the heaviness in her chest became an almost crushing pain. Images, thoughts, words, whispers, memories, colors, laughter, tears… they all flashed past her eyes in a fraction of a second and yet… none of them were real. None of it was really real because… she was not real. She was… she had never existed. She was not meant to exist.

"I-I… I'm…just a replacement…" she murmured weakly, her body going numb all over as she slumped in her seat, "I'm just a replacement…" her voice rose slightly.

"Freya, calm down," his fingers squeezed hers, but she couldn't really feel it past the numbness that had enveloped her, "you're not a replacement."

"I'm not even a real person!" She cried almost hysterically, "I'm just a fucking _replacement! _First for someone _he_ lost and now for…" she snatched her hand from his, pushing away from the table as she jumped to her feet. The chair toppled over and clattered noisily on the floor, drawing the attention of the redheaded waitress. Even _she_was more real than Freya. Freya had been created to fill in a gap. First for the man she had thought to be her father, and now she found out that she was a replacement for her partner's twin. Ignoring the brunette calling out for her to calm down, she spun on her heels and raced out of the quaint little café. Even when he ran after her, calling out her name, she did not stop, going intangible and rushing through the wall of a building, not stopping for the alarmed cries of workers in that shop or any of the other shops that came after that one. Tears spilled freely from her eyes, scalding her cheeks as they traced tracks down her face, half blinding her as she tried to keep herself from falling apart.

She had run away from home to stop being a replacement, and yet… the sole reason for her existence was just that. To be a replacement…

"_I knew you to be an idealist, Ashura, but I didn't think you could delude yourself like this. The love you give her is not really hers. She's just a replacement for someone you lost."_

"_You are right, Fei, my wife and son are dead. I cloned Freya from Chi-" _

The conversation her _father_ had had with Fei played inside her head in a repetitive loop as she ran and ran and ran, her feet taking on a mind of their own as she headed past the city limits, never stopping and never slowing. Her muscles screamed in protest but for some reason, she just couldn't stop. A cheery-looking sun rose higher up in the sky, signaling the passage of time even though she wished for nothing more than for it to freeze forever.

Something caught her foot and she fell face-first into moist dirt. She scraped her knees and the palms of her hands and as crimson blood blossomed out from the wounds she looked at it distantly. That was her blood, but… if she was not real, how could her blood be real either?

"_There never was a Freya Flourite in that other timeline. Syaoran thinks that you came into existence to fill up the void that would have been left behind in this world once he gave up his freedom and took the Inhibitor's place in captivity."_

Letting her eyes slip close as exhaustion overcame her, Freya allowed herself to slowly drift away into oblivion. If she had taken care to look at her surroundings, though, she would have realized that she had unknowingly drifted to the final resting place of the man she had hated for creating her. Right next to her head was a black marble slab with eight words engraved on its surface that read, '_Ashura Flourite. A Loving Father, Uncle and Friend.'_

_**A/N: I decided to try out something different with this story. Revealing what happened to my readers while keeping half the characters oblivious to it all is something I've never actually tried out before but anywho… what do you guys think? **_

_**Oh and now that I have finally revealed that Syaoran is in fact still alive and just in a self-induced coma, I can put up the poll that will decide the direction this story will head in from here on out.**_

_**Who do you want Sakura to end up with at the end of this story? Drop me a review and vote for one of the options given below or go to my profile and leave a vote on the poll there.**_

_**a. Syaoran**_

_**b. Fai.**_

_**If you vote via review, I'd like to hear your reason for picking either of the options so do add those with your choice. **_

_**Next time, Fai asks Sakura out on an official date and Freya comes across someone who helps her come to a decision regarding her future. Kurogane follows the instructions of the mysterious S.L. and comes across some valuable information.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: I can't believe I forgot to put this up. I had this chapter lying around in my hard drive for nearly a month now soooo yeah. You guys can go ahead and scream at me for being forgetful. But after you've read the chapter I suppose ^_^; **_

_**P.S. Make sure you enjoy this fluff while it lasts guys ;)**_

Sakura turned over in bed in an attempt to shield her eyes from the sunlight pouring into the room through the window. Grumbling to herself, she tried to drift back to wonderland before something registered in her mind and she shot up. Staring wildly at the clock that read _11:00am_, she uttered a curse before jumping to her feet and racing out to the living room.

"Fai! Wake up! We slept in!" She tried to pause but her socked feet caused her to slip on the tiled floor, sending her crashing down on top of the blond that occupied the sofa. Groaning in pain, Fai turned over, opening his eyes blearily to look up at her quickly-reddening face.

"Sakura," he managed to choke out, "you're crushing me."

For a second, she forgot all about being embarrassed as she stared down at him in disbelief. She knew she was not the skinniest girl out there, but for him to suddenly declare that she was fat enough to actually crush him…

"I'm not fat!" she declared before she could actually process what she was saying and her boyfriend had the gall to laugh, even if the laughter was tinged with pain.

"You're not fat, Sakura," he assured her with a small amount of mirth, "but please, move your leg." And that was when she realized the position she had fallen on him in. Turning redder than a tomato, she pushed away from him, tumbling off the sofa and managing to hit her head in the process.

"Ow…" she moaned, struggling to sit back up.

"Are you okay?" Fai asked, sliding off the sofa to sit next to her, his nimble fingers gently prodding her head to check for any signs of injury.

"I'm okay. S-Sorry about crushing you."' She stuttered, unable to keep herself from blushing like mad as he let go of her head and flashed her a mischievous grin.

"It's okay. Although, I would have preferred it if you had woken me up with a kiss instead. Why were you screaming like that anyway?"

"Huh?" For a moment she had to struggle to remember what she had been saying before her eyes widened, "Oh, yeah! We slept in. We need to hurry and get ready. We've already missed homeroom and chemistry."

"Oh." Was all he said in response before climbing back onto the couch and burying his face into the pillow.

"Fai, we're already late, wake up!" she shook his shoulder before heaving a sigh and checking the clock one more time. When the blond made no motion of waking up, she clambered to her feet and hurried to the kitchen where she pulled a water bottle from the fridge. Wondering how her boyfriend would react to what she was about to do, Sakura stifled a giggle before uncapping the bottle as she stood right behind the sofa and poured the chilled water all over the sleeping blond.

"Oh _shit_, that's cold!" Fai exclaimed as he fell to the floor in a tangled mess of gangly limbs and blanket for the second time. He looked up at her rather accusingly before shaking some water out of his hair with a pout. "What was that for?"

"For you, trying to keep on sleeping even when I told you we're late for class." She retorted with a cheeky grin. It felt weird for her to act so carefree and cheerful-like how she used to be with _him_-but lately with Fai around, she felt like she could go back to being that girl she used to be. The one who stayed strong despite all the hardships life threw at her and still knew how to enjoy herself.

Fai looked over at the clock before shaking his head and untangling his legs from the blankets. "We'll only be able to attend the last period if we go, you know."

"Why? School is only twenty minutes away if we drive. We could get there before the day is half over."

"Because you, my dear," he said with a sly grin as he suddenly launched himself over the sofa-when did he even climb to his feet?-and tackled her in a move that had her shrieking with laughter as he wrestled the half-full water bottle from her hand, "are going to get a taste of your own medicine." And then she was shrieking even louder as freezing water was poured down her back. She made a grab for the bottle, trying to keep him from dumping all the water on her, shaking her hands as she did so to toss some of the liquid back at the blond in retaliation.

The blond spun them around, somehow maneuvering the bottle out of her hands for a second time. Throwing the plastic container away, he grinned wolfishly at her, wrapping his now-free arm around her waist before pushing her on to the now slightly-wet sofa. Before she could get up, he was there, a tender expression on his face as he slowly closed the distance between them, pressing his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.

No matter how many times she kissed the blond, Sakura was sure she would never stop feeling that spark of thrilling pleasure race down her spine whenever their mouths melded together as though they were made for each other. His typical, sweet, bakery-like scent filled her senses as they made out on the couch. All thoughts about being late to school flew out the proverbial window as she wound her hands through his hair while he rested one hand at the nape of her neck. Their kisses remained sweet and though Fai's hands did wander a little during the course of their impromptu make out session, he never went anyplace that made her feel uncomfortable.

They both surfaced for air after a long while, breathing hard as they stared at each other for what seemed an eternity before the auburn-haired teen remembered their missed classes and she sat up, pushing the blond off herself and causing him to fall to the floor for the third time that day.

"We're late!" she exclaimed once again.

"You're still hung up over class?" the blue-eyed teenager groaned in exasperation. "You're even worse about this stuff than Eva."

"Come on, we need to get ready to leave." And then she was hurrying across the living room and vanishing into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her as she began getting ready for the day ahead. By the time she stepped out in a blue-colored pleated skirt and a creamy green shirt with little cherry blossoms splattered all over it, Fai had finished cooking breakfast for the two of them. Setting it down on the coffee table, he grinned at her.

"I'll just hop into the shower real quick." He told her, vanishing into his room for a second before emerging with some clothes and a fluffy-looking towel, "That water you poured all over me makes me want to take a proper bath."

She nodded back, already digging into the breakfast with gusto because she hadn't felt like eating much the previous day thanks to her fever. It was a good thing it had broken sometime during the night and now she was back to being completely normal, if a little hungry.

Sakura was almost done with her breakfast when she heard the bathroom door open. Casting a casual glance in that direction she continued eating for a couple more seconds before doing a double take, mouth hanging open at the sight of Fai dressed in nothing but a pair of washed-out jeans, slung low over his hips as he walked out with the towel draped across his head, partially hiding his face from view. She gaped at the blond for nearly half a minute before she came to her senses and realized she had been ogling the teen like a pervert. Turning beet-red to the roots of her hair, she quickly resumed eating, trying not to steal glances at her rather attractive boyfriend.

Less than a minute later, she was back to eyeballing his semi-naked form as he draped the towel across his shoulders, letting his damp hair fall about his face messily as he came over to join her for breakfast. Noticing her stare, he gave her a cheeky grin, "Like what you see?"

Giving tomatoes a run for their money, she turned an even darker shade of red as she slammed her gaze back to her breakfast. The blond had the nerve to laugh at her, causing her to huff in indignation.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, it's just…" he fake-yawned and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side, "you look so _cute _when you're mad."

Trying to bring her blush under control, she took an angry sip from her juice, feeling secretly pleased at the arrangement. Trying to ignore him completely, she finished the last of her toast and washed it down with the rest of her juice. She froze when his fingers began tracing random patterns on the bare flesh of her arm, humming innocently as he made no move to touch his breakfast. Wanting to get even with the blond she finally turned to him with a sly grin- at least, she _hoped_ it looked sly and not silly. She patted herself on the back when his eyes widened in surprise as she leaned closer to him, seemingly initiating a kiss of her own accord. Using both hands to trace up and down his torso- his abs felt like rocks beneath her touch- she paused, just a breath away from his lips.

"I hope you won't start calling me Cherry from now on." She murmured, feeling his heated breath on her skin. She pulled back just as the blond tried to lean in. "Well then, eat up, we'll be late for class if you don't hurry." Just as she made to stand up, his hand closed around her arm, pulling her back down and into his lap as she let out a surprised shriek.

Smirking down at her as their positions were reversed with him leaning down just a millimeter from her mouth, he spoke. "I dunno, Cherry does seem to suit you a lot." And then he pressed his lips against hers and Sakura simply gave up on trying to get him to take her to school altogether. It seemed as though Fai D. Flourite was not above using underhanded tactics to get his way.

-0-

Kurogane looked over his shoulder one last time before silently slipping into the office. The witch was out of the office for the day, making arrangements for the upcoming trip. The mysterious S.L. had been keeping in touch with him through the cellphone. Even now, he was wary about the hows and whys of his mysterious informant. After all, they had yet to disclose their motives for providing him with such valuable clues.

He felt like a thief, going through the private cabinet of his employer, but something S.L. had said had made him curious enough to want to see the truth for himself. There was a reason why _that _organization was coming after the metas. According to S.L., Yuuko had files outlining the details of the project that had started it all. Once inside the office, Kurogane took care not to move anything from its original spot as he walked around his employer's cluttered desk and approached the steel cabinet at the back.

The files he was looking for were somewhere in here. Hurriedly checking over his shoulder to see if someone had noticed the intruder in the principal's office, Kurogane tugged at the topmost cabinet. The drawer slid open without any effort at all. Knowing that his crazy-ass employer would never be stupid enough to leave something that important in such an easy-to-access place, he tugged at the second drawer, rejecting it as well when it slid open without a problem. Bending, he tugged at the third drawer, a small smirk lifting one corner of his mouth when he found that it was locked.

Taking great care not to use his super-human strength to rip it out, he gave it another tug but it did not budge, confirming his suspicions that the files were most likely in there. It wasn't like Yuuko to leave important stuff just lying about…and papers about the school didn't really count according to that witch.

A buzz in his pocket alerted him to an incoming message. Pulling it out of his jacket, Kurogane flipped the cell open.

S.L: Under the black meatbun you will find what you are looking for.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he growled, nevertheless looking around for a black-colored 'meatbun'. The meatbun, in the end, turned out to be a black decoration piece place on top of a filing cabinet. It was a tiny little thing made out of porcelain, with a blue crystal set in its forehead. Kurogane scoffed, muttering how only the crazy witch could put something like that in her office. Picking it up, he checked underneath for some keys or something but there was nothing there. Wondering if S.L. meant the filing cabinet itself, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans, casting another glance over his shoulder to see if someone had realized he was breaking and entering the principal's office.

Seeing no one around, he withdrew a pair of metal hairpins, having nicked them from Souma's room that morning, and slipped them into the lock. It took him a total of fifteen seconds to hear the satisfying click of the mechanism unlocking before he withdrew the pins, putting them back in his pocket. Allowing himself a satisfied grin, he pulled the drawer outward. It slid out without any resistance, baring to him its sole content, which was a shoebox. Wondering if this was supposed to be a joke, Kurogane retrieved the box and removed its lid. Inside, he found a nondescript leather-bound journal and an old photograph album. Quickly flipping through the journal, Kurogane stuffed it into an inside pocket of his jacket before hastily putting the album back in its place. He heard some commotion outside the office and hurriedly slammed the drawer shut, moving towards the door when he caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. Looking closely, he realized a photograph had slipped out of the album. Hearing the voices draw closer, Kurogane snatched the picture off the ground, slipping it in his jacket before looking around for a place to hide.

It sounded like the principal had come back earlier than expected and she had a guest as well.

-0-

A gentle tickling sensation in the palms of her hands woke her up, the buttery warmth of the sun heating her face as she lay in the grass on her back. Wait…on her back?! Freya shot up into a sitting position, immediately going intangible as she felt a foreign pair of hands on her scraped knee.

"Whoa, easy there! I'm not gonna hurt you." said a grey-eyed redhead as she held up her hands in a placating gesture.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" she growled, internally cursing herself for being stupid enough to let her guard down like that in a foreign territory.

"You're Freya, right?" the redhead said and Freya realized there was something familiar about this girl before her.

"How do you know my name?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at the unnamed girl in suspicion.

"Ashura still has a picture of you in his study." The girl responded with a hint of sadness lacing her tone as Freya jumped to her feet and swiftly began backing away. "He loved you very much, you know."

"Shut up!" she snarled, "that man is _nothing _to me. He was selfish, manipulative, and he didn't give a damn about me."

"How long have you told yourself that?" The girl said as it suddenly clicked in Freya's head as to why she looked so familiar. That girl was Eva Flourite, the adoptive daughter of Ashura and Freya's replacement in his life. She was a meta, too, just like her.

"Why are you here?" she screeched with a shake of her head, "Wh-What were you doing to me?"

"I was only healing your wounds." She responded calmly, "I found you passed out next to your father's grave." She added with a nod to Freya's right."What happened to you?" Genuine concern flickered on her face as she looked at Freya.

"He's not my father." She snapped.

"Well, he certainly thought of you as his daughter." The girl stated stubbornly, "the old man even left a series of letters for you, apart from your share of the inheritance of course."

"I don't believe you." Freya growled, taking another step back as her heart skipped a beat. Why would he have left letters for her? What was left for him to say to her anyways?

"They're at my apartment, if you're interested in taking a look. He kept all your stuff at the mansion, you know." She informed her, "I really don't care if you believe me or not, or if you look at those letters or leave right now. Ashura seemed to believe you hated him far too much to ever listen to him."

"He was right about that." She shot back bitterly. "I do hate him."

"You don't sound very sure of yourself."

"What would _you_ know?"

"Nothing."The redhead replied with a simple shrug of her shoulders as she turned on her heels, "I'm heading back home for a little while, if you want to pick up those letters."

"Why are you doing this?" she couldn't help but ask the girl's retreating back.

"Because it broke his heart that you hated him so much." She said, "He wanted you to understand his point of view, but never could quite work up the courage to approach you. He had watched you from afar all these years, though."

"He told you all this?"

"No," she shook her head, "I dug up a few of his journals." Then she resumed her walk, slowly crossing over the threshold of the graveyard and out into the street. Not even knowing why, Freya found herself rushing after the girl.

"Wait!"she cried, causing the girl to pause momentarily though she still did not turn around. "I-I…" she hesitated. What did she want? "I want to… I want to see those letters." She finally said, wanting to confirm the truth for herself. Her entire existence was a lie, but a part of her hoped for there to be at least _some_ shred of truth in it somewhere. What this girl had said about Ashura… could it be possible that she had been lied to when she had run away all those years ago? Did he truly love her? Or maybe…maybe this was all some elaborate trap set up to capture her. "How do I know this isn't a trap?" she ended up asking less than a heartbeat later.

"You don't." she replied, "and I'm not going to ask you to trust me on this. Only an idiot would put their trust in someone they only meant moments ago." Freya was suddenly reminded of her meeting with a heavy-set man with dark, beady eyes, a glass monocle covering one of said beady eyes, grey hair streaking the sides of his head as he looked down at her one dark rainy night. The girl had begun moving and despite every instinct screaming at her to run the other way and never look back, Freya couldn't help but follow after her at a small distance.

-0-

Kurogane slammed the door to his truck as he dumped his bag onto the passenger seat, heaving a sigh of relief at having somehow managed to make it all the way back to safety without being caught. Shaking his head, he started the ignition, putting his truck in reverse as he drove out of the school parking lot. Two blocks away from the school building, his cell buzzed once again. Steering with one hand, he dug the tiny device out, checking his inbox for the latest message.

Tomoyo: _Craving ice cream. Come over? :3_

Chuckling to himself as he returned his attention to the road, Kurogane took a turn for the nearest convenience store. Ten minutes later, he found himself being led through the Daidouji Mansion towards his girlfriend's room. Wait. Girlfriend?! All they'd done so far was go on a spoiled date and kiss a few times…that wouldn't qualify them for that relationship, right?

"Kurogane!"he found his arms full of his not-girlfriend, the scent of lavender filling up his lungs as she buried her head in his chest. "You came." He could hear the smile in her words as she said that.

"Of course I did." He said, clearing his throat as he tried to fight off the sudden blush that bloomed across his cheeks, "You said you wanted ice cream, so I bought you some."

"You bought me ice cream?" she repeated in confusion as she drew back. He held up the two cones he had brought just as the door to her room opened and a servant entered, pushing in a trolley that carried enough ice cream to feed a small army and crystal bowls that sparkled in the lighting of her room. Now blushing in embarrassment, he hurriedly tried to conceal the cones.

"Never mind." He grunted, trying to shove them in his jacket, "it seems you've got that covered."

Her hand touched his arm, making him pause as he met her gaze. She looked up at him with an unreadable expression for a long time before grinning and telling the servant to take the trolley away.

"Why'd you do that?" he couldn't help but ask a little sourly, as she tugged at his arm, "that stuff looked way better than the crap I brought."

"I can have that stuff any time I want," she answered, her smile turning a little soft as he finally relented and pulled out the slightly-melted cones. Standing on her tip-toes, she rested her hands against his chest for support as she added in a soft whisper, "but it's not every day my boyfriend buys me ice cream."

"I still don't get why you want something like this in this weather," he grumbled, trying not to appear pleased that she had unknowingly solved their relationship dilemma for him.

"Honestly speaking," she replied as she led him across her room towards the cushioned window seat, "I'm not really sure why I want it either. But I really enjoyed having it in winter on Sakura's birthday."

Unwrapping the cone, he handed it to her before moving on to remove the wrapper from his own.

"Flourite's cousin is just as insane as he is." He shook his head, biting into the frozen treat just as Tomoyo shrieked.

Kurogane's gaze shot to her in alarm but she was grinning as she happily stared at the cone in her hand.

"Tomoyo?"

"Oh my God, Kurogane!" she squealed, "This is so romantic!"

He could only blink at her in confusion as she gushed on and on about how she had no idea he could be such a romantic at heart. Honestly, before that day, he had no idea either. In fact… he still had no idea what he had done to cause her to get so worked up over an ice-cream cone. He swore he could see hearts in her eyes as she finally looked up at him.

"My cone has a heart in it!" she gushed, confusing the Japanese teen even more.

"Huh?" came his intelligent reply until she turned her cone around for him to see. There in the wafer of the cone, was a hole in the shape of a heart, outlined by the chocolate that lines the inside of the biscuit. Judging from the dreamy eyes look she gave him, he was pretty sure she thought it had been something intentional on his part. The choice of deciding whether to take advantage of the situation or not was taken out of his hand when the raven-head threw her arms around him and caught him in a lip-lock, the melting ice-cream cones very quickly forgotten in favor of more delicious activities.

_**A/N: The thing that happened with Tomoyo and Kurogane with the ice-cream cone actually happened to me a while back. Provided I bought the ice-cream for myself and ate it by my lonesome self but it's not everyday you find a heart in your cone that did not require some deliberate planning beforehand, no?**_

_**Anyways, do drop me a review. I'd love to know what you guys thought of this chapter. **_

_**Oh and official date asking for Fai might come in the next chapter. I couldn't convince my plunnies to add that scene in here ^_^;**_


	23. Chapter 23

**_A/N: I know, I'm late by a few months but hopefully I'll be able to get the plunnies to come out of their long hibernation sometime soon and actually get this story moving along. In the mean time, go ahead and enjoy the update. _**

Freya knew it was foolish of her to place so much faith in a girl she had only met a few short hours ago, but… something inside her told her to trust the redhead. And so, Freya found herself sitting on the floor in the middle of Eva's living room, letters and journals from the man she had once called her father strewn everywhere. Gingerly reaching out with her right hand, she plucked up what had to be the last letter he had written to her before meeting his demise at the hand of the metas that worked for her current boss.

_Dearest Freya,_

_Like every other letter I have written to you up until this day, I know it will never reach you as long as I live. Even so, I hope you are safe and healthy and happy wherever you are. I don't even know why I'm writing it all down when I've already written this confession so many times before. Maybe… I feel like I need to properly apologize for breaking your heart, even if that was never my intention. I still don't think this is good enough to begin making up for the hurt I have caused you, but… I don't think it will ever be good enough. I just know that I need to tell you this somehow. Maybe one day, when I have worked up the courage to face you again, I might be able to-_

She dropped the letter with a small sob, picking up the one she had read in the beginning.

_My beloved Freya,_

_I don't know how I can say this to you. I know my reasons for creating you were never quite as pure as I liked to think, but the undeniable truth of the matter is, I never did quite manage to see you as a reflection of my dead sister, Chii. You were a person in your own right and I learnt that very early on. Whatever you heard that night, I want to say that you should give me a chance to-_

Her vision grew too blurry for her to be able to read any further. Fat, warm droplets splashed against her skin and she dropped this letter as well, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she picked up a journal.

_It has been three weeks since Freya ran away. I know where she is but she refuses to let me speak to her. It hurts to see my own daughter push me away so harshly but I suppose I really have no right to call her my daughter. She is merely a clone…and yet, she feels every bit like the daughter I never had. It breaks my heart to see her willing to work for a man like Fei Wang. If only I can somehow show her how wrong she is… then maybe I can convince her to come back home. To come back to me…_

She flipped through a few pages, not even bothering to read until she paused at a random page.

_I grow more and more concerned for Fai. He has moved out to live on his own, but… Fei Wang still has his sights set on my nephew. It seems as though my own flesh and blood will keep on trying to push me out of their lives. First Freya, and now Fai. All I have left in my life now is Eva, but how long will it be before she too decides a man like me is not worthy of her time?_

Her reading was interrupted by the slight woosh of the door as it was pushed inwards. Eva pretended not to notice the tears on her face as Freya hastily tried to rub them away. The redhead merely smiled at her, holding a tray carrying two mugs of something steaming and a plate of slightly-burnt cookies as she came over and set it on the floor next to the blond.

"I figured some warm milk and semi-edible cookies might cheer you up." She chirped brightly, offering her a wink at the end as she began collecting the journals and letters and stacked them on the floor neatly next to the coffee table. "You're free to take those with you if you want, by the way." Eva said as she flopped onto her backside, reaching out for a mug. Freya said nothing in response, silently picking up the mug left for her, taking a delicate sip to assess whether something had been added to the milk apart from chocolate. She picked up nothing more than a slight trace of cinnamon powder, deeming it an acceptable drink.

"So…" her redheaded host drawled slowly, "what's your favorite color?"

Freya nearly spat out a mouthful of chocolate milk at that unexpectedly random question, making the other girl grin widely as the blond looked at her in shocked disbelief.

"What?" Eva shrugged innocently, "It seemed like as a good question as any other to get to know my adopted sister."

When Freya kept on staring at her with incredulity plastered on her face, the redhead shrugged again, reaching out for a chocolate chip cookie that was slightly burnt on one side. "Mine's blue." She informed her.

After staring at the relaxed redhead for a few moments more, she shook her head, taking another sip of her chocolate with a tiny smile, suddenly reminded of the way Fai sometimes used to act around her in her childhood.

"Pink." She finally said when she was nearly done with her chocolate milk.

"Really? I would have pegged you for a black type."

-0-

Sakura struggled to contain her giggles as she followed behind Fai, the blond chattering rather excitedly as he pulled her along. It was a nice day, but ass evening drew closer, the sun steadily descended across the sky and dark storm clouds hovered just beyond the horizon, unbeknownst to the couple walking down the sidewalk on what the blond had dubbed as their "official" first date.

Telling her they'd get dinner after they had managed to work up a proper appetite for it, the blond proceeded to pull her to an indoor skating rink. Pulling on the skates, he then led her on the ice, chuckling at the way she fell flat on her butt the moment he had let go of her hand. When she narrowed her eyes up at him in annoyance, he hastily apologized, helping her back to her feet while still silently laughing.

"You don't have to be so mean about it." She pouted, crossing her arms across her chest and promptly losing her balance once more. Lucky for her, her boyfriend seemed to have suspected it, for he caught her before she could fall gracelessly on the ice for the second time. "Quit laughing!" she whined, beating against his chest with curled fists as her cheeks flamed. "I don't know how to skate, okay?"

"Well, you should have just said so," he replied innocently, setting her straight on her feet but keeping a firm hold on her back this time, "you wouldn't have bruised your cute little butt that way."

Sakura merely blushed harder at the compliment, refusing to reply as she huffed to conceal her embarrassment.

"Tell you what, though," he added with a softer smile, holding her close to him, "I won't let go of you again, hmm?"

And as they spent the next hour and a half going slowly in circles around the rink, Sakura couldn't help but make note of his gentle but firm hold on her, tightening his grip on her every time she even so much as wobbled a little. By the end of their little session, Sakura had proudly managed to go an entire lap around the rink without needing his help, though she had stuck very, very close to the railings and gone slow as a turtle but she had skated on her own all the same. She happily laced her fingers through her boyfriend's as they exited the rink, identical grins on both their faces as darkness settled all around them.

-0-

It was nearly sundown by the time Freya was ready to leave Eva's comfortable and somewhat-cluttered apartment, leaving everything Ashura had left for her with her pseudo-sister for the time being. Waving goodbye to the redhead, Freya tried not to let dread sink its claws into her gut. After all had been said and done, she now knew the complete truth about who she was, what her purpose was and what she might have to do. But was she ready to do what was needed of her? Despite all assurances to the contrary, she knew her purpose of existence was merely to be a replacement. Could she, against all odds, still manage to carve out a place for herself?

The sky shifted from tones of darkened blue to lighter shades in the west, streaked with purple and pink, reflecting the brilliant gold of the setting sun in places as she stepped into the relatively cool, spring air. Life carried on at its normal pace as per usual all around her, yet Freya's mind raced. She had found so much. She knew for a fact that Syaoron would never tell her all that he had earlier that day merely out of the goodness of his heart. All that, coupled with his questions and his behavior those past few weeks, hinted at some sort of agenda, but… would it coincide with what she had in mind? Would they be able to help each other out, or… would one of them be mysteriously vanishing sometime soon in the future?

It could not be denied that they would have to have a talk soon. She would have to wait and see if he would lay down his cards on the table to decide if working with him would go in her favor, but she could only hope that they both had the same thing in mind. She would much rather work with him than against both him _and_ the others. Making her way over to the bus stop, she fished out her cellphone, trepidation heavy in her heart as she tried to find a suitable way to compose a message. She really hoped they could work together in the end.

-0-

Kurogane couldn't quite seem to figure out where time had vanished to that evening, but soon enough he was getting calls from Souma to haul his ass back home to look after the three demons from hell as she would be heading out to town with his mother for a much-needed shopping session. Grunting an irritated response and mentally cursing his cousin in a hundred creative ways, he bid his girlfriend goodnight before climbing behind the wheel of his car and turning on the ignition.

Souma and his mother were all dressed and ready to go by the time he arrived home and thankfully, the demon brats had already been put to bed. His job was merely to watch over the house and be there in case they should wake up. Kurogane resigned himself to spending his evening watching the news on the television as he stomped his way inside, still grumbling at his far-too-cheery cousin. It was as he leaned against the counter, waiting for his dinner to heat up ten minutes later that his gaze landed on the package sitting neatly in the middle of the island table. Feeling his curiosity aroused, the red-eyed teen approached the box, taking note of the fact that it was addressed to him. Souma really should have mentioned that earlier. Grabbing a knife, he pulled the package closer, taking note of its weight. It wasn't too heavy, despite its large size. If he had to hazard a guess, Kurogane thought, he would say the box was filled with books. Possibly around ten to twelve of them.

His guess was proven correct when he sliced through the tape on top of the box and pulled it open. Inside was a neatly stacked stash of roughly eleven books and a…it looked like a rolled up magazine. Who'd be sending him books?

He plucked out a folded note wedged into one corner and smoothed it out to see a message written out in neat cursive script.

_As promised, they are yours._

_S. Daidouji._

Heh. So the old hag did keep her promise about the journals on G.E.D.

**_A/N: What do you think of Freya and Eva's interaction? And the letters for her left by Ashura. And Sakura and Fai's date? The next chapter should hopefully be longer than this one so keep an eye out for updates and don't forget to review. Remember, its your reviews that revive the plunnies enough for me to churn out new chapters in the first place so the more you review, the faster I get to update. ;)_**


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